OK film fans, last night I ranted about the cult of Judd Apatow and how his influence and disciples have spread through Hollywood like pod people. Tonight I give you another example of the tendrils and a contender for funniest comedy of the year.
I Love You, Man was directed and co-written by John Hamburg, a funny guy who has worked on a ton of stuff with Ben Stiller (he wrote Meet the Parents and Zoolander) and after a few false starts was able to hone his directing skills working on a small but loved TV show called Undeclared. That little TV show was created by... Judd Apatow. Apatow's influence is felt here in the tone and realism of the situations which rise above the standard Hollywood fare.
It's the story of two men with different paths and outlooks on life who find out they complement each other as friends. Peter Klaven (Paul Rudd - there's that name again) has just gotten engaged to his girlfriend of eight months Zooey Rice (the very cute and funny Rashida Jones). When she promptly calls all of her best friends and has a ladies night with them in celebration he realizes he has literally no close friends. With his nuptials impending he decides to find some new friends, no easy task for a man in his thirties.
After going on a series of horrible man dates and a disastrous guys night (#4 on this list) with the husband (Jon Favreau) of Zooey's best friend (Jaime Pressly), he meets Sydney Fife (Jason Segel, who just happened to be on the aforementioned Undeclared). Sydney is the type of guy most guys would like to have as a friend. He's the type of wild, unhinged guy we all knew in college, always able to ratchet up the fun in any situation. But it's a shtick that seems a little odd in a grown man, even a little desperate. Sydney lives his life without compromise though, he calls it like he sees it and does whatever he wants whenever he wants to. It's a life most men wave goodbye to as they settle into careers, relationships and parenthood.
When they meet Peter is drawn to Sydney's sense of freedom. He should be, he's the poster boy for a guy in desperate need of removing the stick from his ass. This is manifested in his inability to use male slang and euphemisms mastered by most boys when they're 12. He also has some issues with accents and inflection that might have been helped by spending a little more time hanging out with the guys. Peter's not a bad guy, he's just always put his girlfriends ahead of his friends. When Peter first hangs out with Sydney he is introduced to his Man Cave, a converted garage behind his house complete with a drum set, flat-screen, wet bar and a special area for "private man activities" or as Sydney would say, "a jerk off station." Yeah, that pretty much sums it up.
What makes Sydney a great guys' guy is also what makes him less than the best friend Zooey was thinking of for her man. He's crass, inappropriate and disrespectful of the boundaries of their relationship. As their big day approaches she becomes less and less enthusiastic about the possibility of Sydney being Peter's best man. Then there's the issue of Peter loaning a sizable amount of cash to Sydney for questionable reasons. What's worse, he starts to get into Peter's head about why he's getting married.
The comedy here is on target as a rom-com, a buddy movie and gross-out comedy. But what makes it one of the best films of the year (yeah, it's a moviefone list, but still) is its heart. More than the crap Hollywood usually shills, like Valentine's Day and Old Dogs, there is actual sincerity here. There's genuine chemistry in both of the relationships Peter has and the dialogue, observations and comedy here all feel natural. Where The Hangover, another big comedy from 2009, is funny in a more overt WTF was that kind of way, I Love You, Man is just plain funny. In the end, I think it's a better film too.
Showing posts with label I Love You Man. Show all posts
Showing posts with label I Love You Man. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
day 52 - Top 5 Underrated Films of 2009
OK film fans, it's Monday night and I'm pretty wiped out. The weekend was fun but not very relaxing and I could have used another couple of days to refill the tank. As such I think it might be time to whip out another top 5 list. And, just a reminder, this is kind of like a piano bar. I'm open to requests, even if I can't get to them all. With the Oscar hype building (the British version was last night and The Hurt Locker cleaned up) it's a good time to look back at 2009 and give you my Top 5 Underrated Films of 2009. An explanation of the rules for the list can be found here.
I have to admit this list was considerably longer and tougher to pare down than I thought it would be. To give you an idea, here's a few of the films I left out for various reasons. Drag Me to Hell, I Love You Man and The Men Who Stare at Goats are probably too well known and successful for this list. Whip it, World's Greatest Dad and Zombieland I've already gushed about so I thought we'd go with a few new films. Let get this thing rolling.
5. Antichrist The latest exploration of film limitations from gifted and controversial Danish director Lars von Trier. Released at the Cannes film festival to decidedly mixed reviews, this art-house horror film begins with a personal tragedy between the films two characters, He (Willem Dafoe) and She (the wonderfully unique Charlotte Gainsbourg), and devolves into a diatribe about the dark history of women persecuted for Pagan and Wiccan beliefs. There are so many themes occurring and interpretations thereof that you'd be hard pressed to find two reviewers with similar takes on this film. Gorgeous cinematography and meaningful conversations abound, but there is also an explicit sex scene (or rather one shot), genital mutilation and talking animals. If you're feeling brave, get your beret, some wine and be prepared for some (pseudo) lofty concepts.
4. The Girlfriend Experience Let's be honest, haven't you ever wondered about the types of people who become high priced escorts? What kind of person gravitates towards that job? What about their personal relationships, do they even have them? And what about the clients, who drops that kind of dough on a pretense they know exists solely due to the exchanged cash? How do they suspend disbelief? Yeah... me either. But talented director Steven Soderbergh made a film about it just in case you're wondering. And despite the fact it stars a real porn star (Sasha Grey) it's a rather cold look at one woman's struggle with the biz. Throw in some timely commentary on the 2008/2009 market collapse, a contrasting look at men selling their bodies as fitness trainers and you've got an interesting experiment that serves as a nice conversation starter.
3. The Invention of Lying OK, this time be really honest. Haven't you ever wondered what kind of world would this be without lying? To be frank, it would really suck. Conversations would be almost stream of consciousness and devoid of any filter to restrict hurtful thoughts from being spoken aloud. The very funny and talented Ricky Gervais co-wrote and directed this film about a man who makes the leap to become the first person, in an alternate reality version of Earth, to say something that wasn't true. And because no one else has ever even thought of lying everyone takes everything he says as absolute truth. This would have been a huge hit, only problem is its primary target for ridicule is religion, specifically Christianity. That's a big no-no in America, home of the free, land of the brave and one nation under God. And don't forget his Americanized son, the light brown-haired, blue-eyed and light-skinned Jesus.
2. Adventureland If you've been paying attention you knew there was going to be an indie film in here, so here you go. It's 1987 and James Brennan (Zombieland's Jesse Eisenberg) was going to travel Europe before he started grad school at Columbia, but his dad's "setback" at work means he gets to find a summer job instead. In just one summer at a crappy amusement park he learns the truth about work, obligation, and love. And of course all of it is set to a great, 80's inspired soundtrack.
1. Observe and Report If you were like me you saw the commercials for this Seth Green vehicle and thought, "Gee, that looks like a hot mess of crap. If I'm not going to see Paul Blart: Mall Cop I'm sure the hell not going to see this." But I've got news for you, we were wrong. This weird, subversive and dark comedy seems bland at the beginning and then about a third of the way in you realize just how disturbed Green's mall security guard/wanna-be police officer, Ronnie Barnhardt, truly is. If you're lucky and your sense of humor is warped (like mine), you'll laugh as it becomes a film that embraces Ronnie's dark side and takes us on a strange journey of redemption you don't see in studio comedies. This is a comedy told through a Taxi Driver filter; nihilistic, violent and funny as hell.
I have to admit this list was considerably longer and tougher to pare down than I thought it would be. To give you an idea, here's a few of the films I left out for various reasons. Drag Me to Hell, I Love You Man and The Men Who Stare at Goats are probably too well known and successful for this list. Whip it, World's Greatest Dad and Zombieland I've already gushed about so I thought we'd go with a few new films. Let get this thing rolling.
5. Antichrist The latest exploration of film limitations from gifted and controversial Danish director Lars von Trier. Released at the Cannes film festival to decidedly mixed reviews, this art-house horror film begins with a personal tragedy between the films two characters, He (Willem Dafoe) and She (the wonderfully unique Charlotte Gainsbourg), and devolves into a diatribe about the dark history of women persecuted for Pagan and Wiccan beliefs. There are so many themes occurring and interpretations thereof that you'd be hard pressed to find two reviewers with similar takes on this film. Gorgeous cinematography and meaningful conversations abound, but there is also an explicit sex scene (or rather one shot), genital mutilation and talking animals. If you're feeling brave, get your beret, some wine and be prepared for some (pseudo) lofty concepts.
4. The Girlfriend Experience Let's be honest, haven't you ever wondered about the types of people who become high priced escorts? What kind of person gravitates towards that job? What about their personal relationships, do they even have them? And what about the clients, who drops that kind of dough on a pretense they know exists solely due to the exchanged cash? How do they suspend disbelief? Yeah... me either. But talented director Steven Soderbergh made a film about it just in case you're wondering. And despite the fact it stars a real porn star (Sasha Grey) it's a rather cold look at one woman's struggle with the biz. Throw in some timely commentary on the 2008/2009 market collapse, a contrasting look at men selling their bodies as fitness trainers and you've got an interesting experiment that serves as a nice conversation starter.
3. The Invention of Lying OK, this time be really honest. Haven't you ever wondered what kind of world would this be without lying? To be frank, it would really suck. Conversations would be almost stream of consciousness and devoid of any filter to restrict hurtful thoughts from being spoken aloud. The very funny and talented Ricky Gervais co-wrote and directed this film about a man who makes the leap to become the first person, in an alternate reality version of Earth, to say something that wasn't true. And because no one else has ever even thought of lying everyone takes everything he says as absolute truth. This would have been a huge hit, only problem is its primary target for ridicule is religion, specifically Christianity. That's a big no-no in America, home of the free, land of the brave and one nation under God. And don't forget his Americanized son, the light brown-haired, blue-eyed and light-skinned Jesus.
2. Adventureland If you've been paying attention you knew there was going to be an indie film in here, so here you go. It's 1987 and James Brennan (Zombieland's Jesse Eisenberg) was going to travel Europe before he started grad school at Columbia, but his dad's "setback" at work means he gets to find a summer job instead. In just one summer at a crappy amusement park he learns the truth about work, obligation, and love. And of course all of it is set to a great, 80's inspired soundtrack.
1. Observe and Report If you were like me you saw the commercials for this Seth Green vehicle and thought, "Gee, that looks like a hot mess of crap. If I'm not going to see Paul Blart: Mall Cop I'm sure the hell not going to see this." But I've got news for you, we were wrong. This weird, subversive and dark comedy seems bland at the beginning and then about a third of the way in you realize just how disturbed Green's mall security guard/wanna-be police officer, Ronnie Barnhardt, truly is. If you're lucky and your sense of humor is warped (like mine), you'll laugh as it becomes a film that embraces Ronnie's dark side and takes us on a strange journey of redemption you don't see in studio comedies. This is a comedy told through a Taxi Driver filter; nihilistic, violent and funny as hell.
Monday, January 25, 2010
day 25 - Top 5 Upchuck Scenes
OK film fans, it's Monday night and I'm coming down with a cold. As you may know, sick is officially a four-lettered word in the workplace so I can look forward to dragging my ass in and feeling horrible all week. In honor of this enjoyable process, I give you the Top 5 Upchuck Scenes, and I think you know what I mean.
5. Sandlot Chewing Tobacco + Children + Tilt a Whirl = A crowd covered in nasty brown liquid chaw. I wasn't able to find the full scene of them on the ride, but you get the idea of where it's going from the clip. My first attempt was actually more visually stunning than this scene. When I was in high school, no I won't say what year, a group of us were at the local bowling alley in between parties on a Saturday Night. Not wanting to lose my buzz I thought I'd try a chew of Cope(enhagen). Always a good call when you have a stomach full of beer. Not being able to spit into a cup in the proper chew spittin' manner, after about a half an hour I managed to gut about half the chew. Feeling queasy, I got up from the table and begin to walk to the bathroom. By the time I reached the door I was at a full sprint and as I opened the door I launched a projectile wall of chaw soup that would have made Linda Blair proud. Unfortunately since I was running at the time I couldn't stop and ended up sliding on my own chew carpet across the entire length of the bathroom, hitting the back wall and having to grab the stall door to keep from ending up with a back full of chew hurl. Good times, good times.
4. I Love You, Man Bromances are so 2009, but hurling after chugging a beer, timeless. Hurling directly on a friend after chugging a beer, Epic.
3. The Exorcist This is perhaps the one, single film I've ever been truly freaked out by. It's difficult, at least for me, to watch it and say "This is only a film." This scene is just one of many that have lived in the collective pop culture minds of America for decades. No one could ever look at split pea soup the same again.
2. The Meaning of Life Monty Python and their wonderful, twisted little minds brought us the unforgettable Mr. Creosote. Maitre d': Good evening sir and how are we today? Mr. Creosote: Better. Maitre d': Better? Mr. Creosote: Better get a bucket. I'm gonna throw up.
1. Team America: World Police You gotta love a whole film made with Marionettes! And much like my favorite scene from Hot Rod, the boys from South Park know how to take a funny moment, hold it until it isn't funny anymore and then hold it even longer until it comes full circle.
5. Sandlot Chewing Tobacco + Children + Tilt a Whirl = A crowd covered in nasty brown liquid chaw. I wasn't able to find the full scene of them on the ride, but you get the idea of where it's going from the clip. My first attempt was actually more visually stunning than this scene. When I was in high school, no I won't say what year, a group of us were at the local bowling alley in between parties on a Saturday Night. Not wanting to lose my buzz I thought I'd try a chew of Cope(enhagen). Always a good call when you have a stomach full of beer. Not being able to spit into a cup in the proper chew spittin' manner, after about a half an hour I managed to gut about half the chew. Feeling queasy, I got up from the table and begin to walk to the bathroom. By the time I reached the door I was at a full sprint and as I opened the door I launched a projectile wall of chaw soup that would have made Linda Blair proud. Unfortunately since I was running at the time I couldn't stop and ended up sliding on my own chew carpet across the entire length of the bathroom, hitting the back wall and having to grab the stall door to keep from ending up with a back full of chew hurl. Good times, good times.
4. I Love You, Man Bromances are so 2009, but hurling after chugging a beer, timeless. Hurling directly on a friend after chugging a beer, Epic.
3. The Exorcist This is perhaps the one, single film I've ever been truly freaked out by. It's difficult, at least for me, to watch it and say "This is only a film." This scene is just one of many that have lived in the collective pop culture minds of America for decades. No one could ever look at split pea soup the same again.
2. The Meaning of Life Monty Python and their wonderful, twisted little minds brought us the unforgettable Mr. Creosote. Maitre d': Good evening sir and how are we today? Mr. Creosote: Better. Maitre d': Better? Mr. Creosote: Better get a bucket. I'm gonna throw up.
1. Team America: World Police You gotta love a whole film made with Marionettes! And much like my favorite scene from Hot Rod, the boys from South Park know how to take a funny moment, hold it until it isn't funny anymore and then hold it even longer until it comes full circle.
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