Sick of romantic comedies? Thanks to Paul Rudd and Jason Segel, stars of the film I Love You, Man, the future of movies lies in the bromantic comedy.
I Love You, Man centers on the engaged Peter Klaven (Rudd), who has gone through life without close male friends, and is now driven to remedy the situation when he realizes he has no one to serve as his best man. When his unconvincingly gay brother (Andy Samberg) sets him up on some “man dates,” hilarity ensues. Eventually, Peter meets Sidney Fife (Segel), which sparks the beginning of a passionate and all-consuming bromance. Rudd and Segel sat down for a conference call last month to discuss the absurd hilarity of the new genre of bromantic comedy.
As one might expect, the best scenes in the movie are those between Rudd and Segel, who play off each other’s absurdity and whose fast-paced dialogue should give audience members enough one-liners to last them until the next Judd Apatow film is released. In a conference call interview with Spectator, Segel described the ambiance of filming by explaining his and Rudd’s “first date” scene: “The director told us, ‘Look, the goal is just to look like you guys are slowly starting to like each other—don’t really worry about a script.’ And then they just gave us four hours of fish tacos and beer and we just had to talk and be funny and enjoy each other’s company—it was very, very easy and very, very fun.”
Part of the duo’s easy and believable rapport is due to their history of work together. As Segel put it, “We made several boner jokes before we ever started this one.” Segel and Rudd’s lively dynamic outshines the lackluster performances of other cast members. Rudd and Rashida Jones, who plays his fiancé, don’t share much on-screen chemistry—another testament to the fact that the film is really about the bromance. “I think it’s a long time coming that you’ve seen a good male platonic comedy,” Segel said. “And that’s what we’re going for and we got as close to the homoerotic line as possible without crossing it. Which I think we both found comedically satisfying.”
Rudd also pointed out that there is precedent for what he calls the “dick flick”: “It just seems to be the word of the moment, bromantic, because there have really been films throughout the decade that have fallen into that category, but we’re never called bromantic.” Until now.
Segel added that intense male relationships, such as the one portrayed in the film, harken back to antiquity: “From the Bible—Sodom and Gomorrah.” Rudd responded jokingly, “Oh, you know, have you read the Bible, right? It’s a script going around Hollywood right now—I’m hoping for Methuselah. They say I’m too young though.”
Ultimately, I Love You, Man serves its purpose with a proven formula for success: Showcasing funny dudes hanging out together. Granted, this foray into an explicit discussion of this type of relationship is sometimes over-the-top and redundant. But the point here is not the plotline—it’s in the bromance.
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