I loved it, man

4/5

I Love You, Man tells the story of Peter Klaven (Paul Rudd), a real estate agent with a girlfriend turned fiancé (played by Rashida Jones) who realizes that he has no male friends. Peter is a truly likable guy, his problem is that he doesn’t understand most of the normal social nuances of male bonding. He frantically goes on several man dates in an attempt to find both a best man for his wedding and someone to keep him from become a nightmarishly clingy husband. When Peter meets Sydney Fife (Jason Segel) there is an instant “bromantic” connection. The strange one-liners and forced awkward moments make up the majority of the laughs as we continually hope that Peter will “just get it” at some point and become best buds with Sydney.

Paul and Jason have a very strong chemistry on screen, despite the many awkward moments that they share. You continue to cheer for Peter’s character while at the same time grimacing as he awkwardly tries to do the “cool” thing. Even at end of the movie Peter is just as socially awkward as the beginning and yet, it’s still funny. All of the supporting actors are wonderfully cast and wonderfully fill in all of the main characters' very strange ensemble of friends and family. Without their smaller stories and jokes, it would have felt as though we were watching the same two jokes on repeat for 1 ½ hours. The climax of the movie builds upon a very solid foundation and some wonderful plot twists, but then seems to resolve itself too quickly as the end of the movie approaches.

One of the things that was oddly missing was any real soundtrack. While the two main characters' story was partly driven by a shared obsession with the band Rush there was a strange absence of any real soundtrack. Much of the movie had no music playing, which was usually fine, but occasionally when the music finally did kick in it seemed strange and slightly out of place.

In recent years movies have had more and more product placement. Michael Bay, for example, (Transformers, Bad Boys) has seemed to have been one of the biggest believers of this new means of marketing. There are some very strangely placed product placements in this movie. In one scene Peter wants to play his fiancé Zooey a song on his computer, his line of “Let me play it on iTunes” (paraphrased) seemed very forced. As well as a moment where Peter is asking Sydney to return his Lost Season 2 DVDs where he says “Zooey just wants to find out what’s going on inside that hatch” (paraphrased).

Pros:
Excellent casting, especially the support cast. Well executed repeat jokes and smaller plot twists.

Cons:
Lack of soundtrack made the existing music seem out of place. The repeated jokes some times don’t work as well as other times.

Bottom Line:
Judd Apatow has made a name for himself producing movies filled with fart jokes and profanity. Director John Hamburg’s touch made this movie seem a little softer around the edges than some of Judd’s other movies. At times I felt as though I was watching a low brow comedy, at times I felt like I was watching a date movie and at times I felt like I was watching a test in how many times the same jokes could be repeated. This bromatic comedy seems to work on these different levels and could appeal to many for different reasons. Ultimately a satisfying movie providing enough laughs (albeit smaller more frequent chuckles rather than larger more infrequent laughs) and well fleshed out characters that all seem honest and relatable.

Chuckinator

I'm sure that many of you have heard the many "Chuckisms" there are, and if you have they probably came from me. I thought I would share several of my favoritos and let you know where I've gotten many of them from...

Chuck Norris can kill two stones with one bird.

Chuck Norris doesn't play god. Playing is for children.

There is no such thing as natural selection, just a list of animals Chuck Norris has allowed to live.

Children wear Superman pajamas to bed. Superman wears Chuck Norris pajamas to bed.

When the Boogeyman goes to sleep every night, he checks his closet for Chuck Norris.

Chuck Norris has counted to infinity... Twice.

Chuck Norris doesn't do pushups, he pushes the Earth down.

Chuck Norris's tears cure cancer... Too bad he never cries.

Chuck Norris always knows exactly where Carmen SanDiego is.

Chuck Norris is the reason why Waldo is hiding.

Don't blame the Bush Administration for thinking there were WMDs in Iraq then not finding any. Chuck Norris was only there for a couple of days on vacation.

Chuck Norris recently went on vacation to the Virigin Islands. In related news, the Virgin Islands are now known as "The Islands".

With the rising cost of gasoline, Chuck Norris has begun to worry about his drinking habit.

After taking a steroids test doctors informed Chuck Norris that he had tested positive. He laughed and said, "Of course my urine tested positive. What did you think steroids were made from?"

Chuck Norris Facts

Upcoming... Movies!

EDIT: The titles of the movies are actually links, if you wanted to see the previews.

I actually have every intention of using this blog to give reviews of movies I watch, in addition to other more "personal" entries. I have already watched a movie or two since I decided that this was something I wished to do. However, I am beginning to realize that watching a movie for "pleasure" and watching a movie to "review" it are two entirely different things. That being said, it will take some time before I even trust my own feelings about movies... That may seem like a strange thing, but I think I will arrive at that point shortly.

So, until I do begin reviewing movies I thought I would post some links to some movies that I am anticipating watching. Some of these movies are already out in select markets, others are arriving in theaters shortly. I am also including some links to some movies that I may never watch, but intrigued me. Without any more rambling and in no particular order...


X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Tells the story of Logan (a.k.a. Wolverine) and his involvement in the infamous Weapon-X program. It also introduces several new characters to the movie franchise, including Gambit, The Blob, Silver Fox, Agent Zero, Wraith and (the one I am looking forward to) Deadpool.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, The Decepticons reunite and wage war against humanity and the Autobots.

Terminator Salvation, John Connor, joined by the mysterious Marcus Wright, lead humans against Skynet and its army of Terminators

Star Trek, The story of the maiden voyage of the U.S.S. Enterprise.

G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra, The elite G.I. Joe team fights an international war against terrorist and faces the growing threat of Cobra Commander and his mysterious organization.

9, A group of "dolls" created by humans are charged with saving the legacy of human kind as they wage war in a post apocalyptic world left by the humans.

Where the Wild Things Are, Based on the book of the same name, Where the Wild Things Are tells the story of a rebellious boy who wishes he could always do as he pleased. When this wish becomes a reality, he is not so sure it's really what he wanted.

Funny People, A stand up comedian is given only a short amount of time to live. When he befriends an unlikely person it creates a bond that will change both of their lives.

Year One, Taking place in the ancient world, two lazy tribesman fight their way to the women they love. Though it takes them on quite a few detours along the way.

Land of the Lost, A Doctor is sucked back into time and with nothing but his wits and two sidekicks, he must figure out how to return to "present time" or be forever stuck in ancient history.

UP, Carl Fredricksen fulfills his lifelong dream of a great adventure. However, he also has an accidental stow away. Russell, a overly optimistic 8 year old, and Carl must battle unexpected animals and return Russell home.

Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, If you don't know this franchise already... Shame on you.

Planet 51, Planet 51 is invaded... By HUMANS! Captain Charles Baker, an american astronaut, thinks he is the first person to step foot on Planet 51. Very quickly he realizes that the planet is inhabited by little green people.

The Hangover, Two days before Doug's wedding, he and his three friends drive to Las Vegas for his bachelor party. The confusion that ensues the following morning and their attempts to recover Doug and get him to his wedding on time create a crazy trip that brings them all together.

The Ugly Truth, Abby Richter is in search of Mr. Perfect. Unfortunately, she scares off any would be candidates. When Mike Chadway, a tell all TV host, is introduced as the TV personality on the show she produces, she loses it... But gains something she never had.

Is Anybody There?, A retired magician reluctantly moves to a family run old age home. A unlikely friendship is formed between the old magician and the young son of the home's owners.

Away We Go, A less than well off couple travel the country to find a place they can call home.

Gigantic, A young mattress sales man, who has yet to find his place in this world, is trying to adopt a baby from China. He gets swept up in a romance with a young and slightly misguided woman when she comes into his store and falls asleep on one of the beds.

The Hurt Locker, The story of the elite members of EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal). These army soldiers have volunteered to battle insurgents and disarm the bombs the insurgents have left.

Defiance, During WWII a band of Jewish refugees fight against the Germans in the forests of Russian.

Blood: The Last Vampire, This is kinda an odd ball on this list, but I saw the preview and thought it looked pretty nifty (hehe, nifty...). Saya, a 400 year old "half-blood" appears as though she is only 16. Obsessed with ridding the world of vampires while at the same time fighting her inner demons she comes face to face with Onigen, the patriarch of all vampires.