Movie Week Review #5

The Movie: I Love You, Man

My Guest Tonight: Marra Alane

Jeremy: How is that in a week which involved The Rock and gay surfers, this was still the gayest movie of them all?

Marra: I don't know, but goddamn, it was awesomely gay. In fact, that's what I imagine straight guys to be like when they hang out - a bottle of tequila away from fucking each other. And I wouldn't mind watching Jason Seigel and Paul Rudd go at it, either.

And did this movie remind you of You, Me, and Dupree at all? I feel like the plot was sort of the same, except funny and the female lead didn't make me want to murder myself. Like I said before, I was fully prepared to put this movie in the category of 'Pineapple Express', but it was actually pretty funny. Formulaic in the way these Apatowian movies are starting to get, but funny none the less.

Jeremy: To be honest with you? I never actually saw You, Me and Dupree, and I have absolutely no desire to see it either. Mostly because I just really want to throat-punch Kate Hudson.

I mean, of course it was going to be formulaic. I love his movies, but for the most part, bromance movies are pretty much the guy version of the chick flick. It's pretty much the same actors cast in the same roles doing the same shit over and over. But you know what? I love them! They're great! I think for the most part, they're a more accurate portrayal of love and marriage. One of the biggest themes of I Love You, Man is how there IS a difference between your best friend and your girlfriend, and that for either of these relationships to work, you have to be able to identify what that difference is, and sometimes you have to find a balance between the two.

Marra: You're lucky you haven't seen it. It's terrible. But it's similar in the way that Matt Dillon's character is kind of a responsible tool and Owen's character is a lovable man child who's run out of friends. That's pretty much where the similarities end, as YMD is boring and stupid and ILYM is funny and smart.

True, there's something to be said for bromance comedies having the 'right' formula. Yeah, they're all basically about the same thing - growing up - but somehow they lack all the contrivances and bullshit that romcoms have, which is probably why I love them so much. I feel like, even as a woman, these movies are a more realistic portrayal of my own relationships with my friends and significant others than a romantic comedy would ever be.

And can we talk for a second about Jason Seigel, and how he's starting to replace Seth Rogen as the man of my dreams? He was just brilliant in this movie. Hilarious, immature, but also strangely vulnerable - it literally broke my heart to see all of his friends grow up and leave him behind. And Paul Rudd was so good too - I hate that guy, who has no friends of his own except through his girlfriend, but he was so hilariously uncool, and even though he basically played every character he's been the past few years, for some reason it felt fresh and funny.

Jeremy: I have to admit, I've been in love with Jason Seigel ever since he dangled his dong in Forgetting Sarah Marshall. I think he was pretty much perfect for the role, because he's hot while still having a vulnerable, emotional side to him. He's like a big ol' teddy bear with whom I would do various unspeakable acts. Paul Rudd was amazing to, but I still think Andy Smaberg and J.K. Simmons were the scene stealers. I love seeing the J.K. get work, mostly because he's funny as hell and he looks like a basset hound. And I LOOOOOOVE basset hounds. Andy Samberg was just hysterical as the straightest gay guy ever. I don't actually watch SNL, but I thought it was nice that he could be hysterically funny without resorting to some half-assed gay minstrel show. Although to be fair, Andy does have a serious case of CSL (Cock-Sucking Lips).

One thing that surprised me was that, for the most part, bromance movies tend to have a greater emotional depth than chick-flicks. In ILYM, the movie revolves around Peter and Sydney growing up and learning to be independent while at the same time learning to bond with eachother in a no bullshit sort of way. Whereas romantic comedies are "Oh sure, I may be happy and financially independent, but that doesn't mean anything unless I have a man in my life to validate my existence!".

Marra: Down south of the border, we call those DSLs. And your right, emotional depth is what separates the chick flick from the bromance. And there were a ton of scene stealers. Every other guy I felt like, "oh yeah! I know him!" Like the Texas hold ’em guy.

Jeremy: Dick, cock, same dif, really. Point is, they're fun to have around. Anyways, one thing I didn't really like about the movie was how generic it was. I mean yeah, I liked it a lot, but at the same time I almost completely forgot about it a couple hours later. Although maybe that's just 'cause I have a supershitty memory. Meh. Maybe it had something to do with how much they focused on the bit characters. Most of them felt like a single joke stretched out a little too far.

Anyways, All in all? I really did like it. The performances were great, Paul Rudd and Jason Seigel make me happy in the pants, the script was hilarious, but it focused a little too much on one-joke characters sometimes. But you know what? It had depth to it, and that's what counts the most.