This movie has a little more meat to it than some of the other comedies much of its cast has done lately, and that works both for and against it. Me personally, I enjoyed seeing the actors stretch and appreciated a lot of the heavier stuff behind the laughs. On the flipside, I can see where the slightly more realistic tone and reined-in characters could be jarring for somebody expecting another "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" or "Knocked Up." Paul Rudd steps way outside his usual comfort zone of cool guy/disinterested guy to play an insecure kinda dorky type and I was impressed by how well he pulled it off. The guy is more than just a collection of one-liners and goofy faces, he's a very talented actor, and he showed it here. Jason Segal is just hilarious; he doesn't have as much of a challenge here as Rudd does because he gets most of the outright funny bits and doesn't need to work as much, but what he does with what he's given is just great, and what he adds is even better. I was pretty hooked by the basic premise of the flick, because it's not too far off from reality; guys like Rudd's characters DO exist and I'm pretty sure I was one at some point in my life, so watching his story delivered more resonance even if I wasn't always laughing. The "awkward behavior as comedy" stuff worked really well about 70% of the time, but that other 30% was rough. I'd say the biggest disappointment was how amazing the supporting cast looks on paper versus how well they deliver; Rudd and Segal are knockouts, Rashida Jones is great as the love interest and Jon Favreau steals some scenes, but talented folks like Andy Samberg, J.K. Simmons, et al just feel wasted. I'm definitely going to see this movie again because I feel there's a lot to take from it both in terms of entertainment value and "makes you think" stuff. I wouldn't say it's the best laugh out loud comedy I've seen recently, but it's got heart and two relationship stories for the price of one that are both pretty sweet. And hey, I'm a sucker for bromance.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Paragraph Movie Reviews: I Love You, Man
This movie has a little more meat to it than some of the other comedies much of its cast has done lately, and that works both for and against it. Me personally, I enjoyed seeing the actors stretch and appreciated a lot of the heavier stuff behind the laughs. On the flipside, I can see where the slightly more realistic tone and reined-in characters could be jarring for somebody expecting another "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" or "Knocked Up." Paul Rudd steps way outside his usual comfort zone of cool guy/disinterested guy to play an insecure kinda dorky type and I was impressed by how well he pulled it off. The guy is more than just a collection of one-liners and goofy faces, he's a very talented actor, and he showed it here. Jason Segal is just hilarious; he doesn't have as much of a challenge here as Rudd does because he gets most of the outright funny bits and doesn't need to work as much, but what he does with what he's given is just great, and what he adds is even better. I was pretty hooked by the basic premise of the flick, because it's not too far off from reality; guys like Rudd's characters DO exist and I'm pretty sure I was one at some point in my life, so watching his story delivered more resonance even if I wasn't always laughing. The "awkward behavior as comedy" stuff worked really well about 70% of the time, but that other 30% was rough. I'd say the biggest disappointment was how amazing the supporting cast looks on paper versus how well they deliver; Rudd and Segal are knockouts, Rashida Jones is great as the love interest and Jon Favreau steals some scenes, but talented folks like Andy Samberg, J.K. Simmons, et al just feel wasted. I'm definitely going to see this movie again because I feel there's a lot to take from it both in terms of entertainment value and "makes you think" stuff. I wouldn't say it's the best laugh out loud comedy I've seen recently, but it's got heart and two relationship stories for the price of one that are both pretty sweet. And hey, I'm a sucker for bromance.
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