Director: John Hamburg

Starring: Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, Rashida Jones, J.K Simmons, Jane Curtin, Andy Samberg, Jon Favreau, Jaime Pressley, Lou Ferrigno

Official website: http://www.iloveyouman.com/

Many a romantic comedy has made me want to whip out a Smith and Wesson .45, Dirty Harry style, and shoot myself in the head midway through the movie. 50 First Dates, 27 Dresses, Confessions of a Shopaholic, you name it. It's probably on the list. Fortunately, I Love You, Man is not one of them. It's actually un-agonizingly fun.

Peter Klaven (Paul Rudd) is a genuinely pleasant guy, the kind that ladies love to bring home to parade before their mommies. He's always polite, has a stable job, and even prepares tasty treats for his fiancée and her friends during their girls' night in. And he likes cuddling up to Chocolat for heaven's sake. What else could a woman wish for?

This also means he's not a man's man and hence has few close guy friends. Peter comes to this realization as he prepares to wed Zooey (Rashida Jones), and this propels him to seek bosom guy buddies so one can be his best man during the marriage ceremony.

Step up Sidney Fife (Jason Segel), the scraggly-haired financial investor who doesn't appear to do any work at all, unless you count walking the dog - aptly named Anwar Sadat- and scrounging free meals at open house parties as labor. Peter needs a guy like Sidney to show him how to be less awkward in social situations, and basically how to just hang loose.

Thematically, I Love You, Man offers little surprises for a movie of its genre. Guy meets potential mate, they hit it off terrifically, the obligatory interim break-up occurs, and eventually the twain reunite and live happily ever after. Yet, it is the sheer absurd hilarity of situations interspersed throughout the show, coupled with the brilliant chemistry between Rudd and Segel that provide for many laugh-out-loud moments.

This we have come to expect from John Hamburg movies. The director of Zoolander, a film I thoroughly enjoyed, and more recently Meet the Fockers, provides a refreshing, humorous take on male bonding.

Jason Segel's only other lead role came in the 2008 film Forgetting Sarah Marshall, with appearances in other movies consigned to forgettable bit parts. Still, he is a gem in this movie, wearing Sidney's flippant, laidback attitude like a second skin. And I Love You, Man only begins to take off when he comes into the picture.

I like Paul Rudd, I really do. He portrays Peter as a truly delicate, likeable guy without resorting to over-the-top antics and exaggerated farcical expressions. In other words, he's not Adam Sandler. That notwithstanding, I'd still like to punch his lights out should I ever pass him on the streets. You see, now my current girlfriend constantly gripes that I should be more like his screen character, which should be enough to give any man hissy fits.

If you ever needed a show to unwind from work's labor pains, I Love You, Man would fit the bill nicely. It's funny, and sure to bring on a smile. And if you're up for an earful thereafter, bring the missus along.

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