Tagline: He needed a best man… He got the worst.
In “I Love You, Man,” the comedy from writer / director John Hamburg (“Along Came Polly,” co-writer of “Meet the Parents,” “Zoolander”), Peter Klaven (Paul Rudd) is a successful real estate agent who, upon getting engaged to the woman of his dreams, Zooey, (Rashida Jones), discovers to his dismay that he has no male friend close enough to serve as his Best Man.
Peter immediately embarks on a series of bizarre and awkward “man-dates” to find such a friend, before meeting Sydney Fife (Jason Segel), a fun-loving, charismatic man – just Peter’s opposite – with whom he instantly bonds. But the closer the two men get, the more Peter’s relationship with Zooey suffers, ultimately forcing him to choose between his fiancée and his newfound “bro,” in a story that comically explores what’s at the core of male friendship and what it truly means to be a friend.
“I Love You, Man”: Origins
Romantic comedies often share the same basic construct: boy meets girl, boy gets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back. John Hamburg’s “I Love You, Man” turns that classic approach on its head – it’s a “bromantic” comedy that takes a look at friendship between two guys – in this case, two men who are complete opposites.
After proposing to his girlfriend, Zooey Rice (Rashida Jones), Peter Klaven (Paul Rudd), a successful young L.A. real estate agent, realizes that, unlike his fiancée, who immediately calls her closest friends to share the news, he has no close buds – in fact, he has no male friends at all. After years of being a “girlfriend guy” focused on romantic relationships, Peter learns that his lack of male friendship worries Zooey, so he embarks on a hurried quest to make a male friend who can serve as Best Man at his wedding.
Under the guidance of his brother, Robbie (Andy Samberg), a personal trainer who is gay and seems to know a thing or two about guys, Peter embarks on a series of disastrous “man-dates” and, quite by accident, crosses paths with Sydney Fife (Jason Segel), a charismatic bachelor who cruises open-houses for free food and lonely divorcées. Peter is intrigued with Sydney, and the two men embark on a friendship that teaches Peter something he’s never experienced, the true meaning of male bonding, but also threatens his relationship with Zooey, forcing him to make some difficult choices.
Read the Full Production Notes
I Love You, Man
Starring: Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, Jaime Pressly, Rashida Jones, Rob Huebel, Jon Favreau
Directed by: John Hamburg
Screenplay by: John Hamburg
Release Date: March 20th, 2009
MPAA Rating: R pervasive language, including crude, sexual references.
Studio: DreamWorks Pictures
Box Office Totals
Domestic: $71,440,011 (88.0%)
Foreign: $9,751,728 (12.0%)
Total: $81,191,739 (Worldwide)