In Love With a Man, I Love You, Man

Bromance can be defined as the plutonic love between two men. In recent pop culture, this relationship between men has been explored and has been pushed to new levels. In the traditional romantic comedy, the plot usually follows the relationship of a guy and a girl, but in the recent case of I Love You, Man, both the relationship of the guy and girl and two guys are followed.
The relationship formed in romantic comedy films usually has a certain cycle that it follows. Two people meet or have an already established relationship; they grow closer over something, only to have a small conflict break them apart for a short time. We are then presented with a montage scene which reflects their sorrows over the “break up,” and then a significant point approaches when the two were supposed to be together and they finally reunite for a happily ever after. In I Love You, Man, this format is followed closely by Director John Hamburg (whom also helped author the script).
I Love You, Man stars Paul Rudd (Role Models) in the role of Peter Klaven, a California real estate agent that has recently gotten engaged. When the wedding planning commences, he realizes that he needs to search for someone to be his best man because he does not have many male friends. After seeking advice from his gay brother Robbie, played by Saturday Night Live’s Andy Samberg, he seeks out a series of “man dates” to try and find some male companionship. After some failed attempts at finding some bromance, Peter has all but given up when he meets Sydney Fife (Jason Segel, Forgetting Sarah Marshall). After a few man dates with Sydney, the pair bond and begin to share in some true bromance. Throughout the remainder of the film, it is unclear who Peter is in love with, his beautiful fiancé, or his new best friend Sydney.
With the relationship formed in this film between Peter and Sydney, true bromance is found. At points in the film, it is unclear who Peter is in a relationship with. This portrayal of relationships is what makes the film so interesting. The relationship formed between Sydney and Peter does seem like that of a romantic courtship, but it is a completely plutonic relationship.
I Love You, Man finds comedy in the little things that happen between guys. There is a clear commentary on the relationships of men. When Peter begins to hang out with Sydney, he is given a nickname but Peter is unable to reciprocate the favor and it becomes an on going joke through out the film. Peter’s awkwardness with men is funny, but by the end of the film certain things become repetitive and it subtracts from the comedic effect.
Although there was no spectacular cinematography, the writing was more than able to make up for that. The plot carried this film and the acting helped to enhance the plot. Jason Segel who played Sydney Fife was a main highlight of the acting in the film. At first, you are not sure of his sexual orientation, and because of previous events, you are easily able to call into question his sexuality. After he openly expresses his love of women, he becomes “that guy,” which is the guy that everyone thinks is an ass, but everyone wants to be at the same time. Sydney fills the void in Peter’s life of a male companion. He was able to successfully help show the dynamics of a male relationship.
Sexuality is also something that is explored in the film. At many points in the film, the sexuality of Peter and Sydney is called into question. When Peter starts to meet guys as he is seeking a new friend, he is actually set up on a date. The man takes the date the wrong way, and makes an advance on Peter. Peter is taken aback by this, but it is not surprising from his character that he was perceived this way. Throughout the film he does show signs that say he might be gay. When Peter is relating to other men, he is just not comfortable and this calls into question his sexuality because he just does not know how to act in the presence of other men. In today’s world, homosexuality is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it is funny to joke about it and make fun of the stereotypes, but on the other side, a joke can go too far and offend someone. The commentary in this film about it though simply states that it is ok to accept who you are and to not let other people’s opinions effect the person you are and the person you will become.
The bromance genre of film is brand new, but I feel that guy love will be the topic of many more films in the near future. Genre’s like this come and go as popular trends, but have short-lived lives. No one knows how many movies about man love there will be, but seeing as this is one of the first ones, I Love You, Man is a film for the history books.