Paul Rudd has been among those actors who quietly spice up romantic comedies or any kind of film about friendship, from "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy" to "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" to "Knocked Up." But now it’s him that takes the lead in the upcoming "I Love You, Man," which opens Friday.
In the film, Paul Rudd plays a man who needs a best man for his wedding but has never made any male friends. Enter Jason Segel as Sydney Fife, whom Rudd's character, Peter Klaven, pursues on several "man-dates" that end up threatening his relationship with his fiancée played by Rashida Jones.
"I was writing about a couple of guys who wear their hearts on their sleeves and to me that was more interesting than your classic 'bros'," says John Hamburg, who directed, wrote and produced the film.
"Bromance," a recent entry into the modern lexicon, means a particularly tight friendship between two men. Think Matt and Ben, or George and Brad. MTV even has a reality TV show about it. However both Rudd and Segel claim this movie shouldn’t be included in this category whatsoever.
Still Rudd has been in several comedies written, directed or produced by Judd Apatow, considered one of the leaders of the "bromance" trend with his softer, more openly emotional male characters. Segel has also been in Apatow projects, including last year's "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" and he stars in the TV series "How I Met Your Mother," which finds plenty of humor in male bonding.
"Like, 'Oh, my god, of course,'" Rudd says of the concept. "You know, in a way this romantic comedy between two guys - I just thought it was really fresh." However Rudd says that the idea has its upside, despite its name. And he's glad it's been successful.
On the other hand, Segel supports their friendship and believes in it as well never denying the fact that the two went out together several times although they left on separate ways.
In support of their familiar ways, the 39-year-old Paul Rudd cringes with amusement as he remembers the time, less than two weeks ago, when he got caught in an awkward situation while promoting his new comedy "I Love You, Man" in Toronto. Rudd, taking a bathroom break with co-star Jason Segel before a TV interview, thought it'd be funny to pull his drawers down to his ankles. The joke scored laughs from his one-man audience, recalls Rudd, but backfired when Segel walked out the door and a stranger entered.
The formula is pretty predictable from director John Hamburg ("Along Came Polly"), who co-wrote the script with Larry Levin, as well as the conflict that inevitably arises when Zooey questions their closeness. But the beauty of it lies both in the details of the relationship and the larger chemistry Rudd and Segel share. Clearly the two ad-libbed a lot of their line. So there’s good vibe about this comedy and it has all the chances to lighten up your weekend.
