I Love You, Man

I Love You, Man is the third collaboration between Paul Rudd and Jason Segel, following the Judd Apatow projects Knocked Up and Forgetting Sarah Marshall, while writer/director John Hamburg previously worked with Segel on Apatow's Undeclared television series.[10] It only took one lunch to get Segel and Rudd to sign on to do the film and this set the stage for other actors to sign on.[11] On February 13, 2008 it was announced that Rashida Jones would be in the female lead opposite Rudd.[12] Later, in an interview with FirstShowing.net, Jones revealed that because Segel and Rudd were already attached to the project she "knew immediately that it was gonna be even funnier than I would think."[13] At the beginning of the March 31, 2008 week, The Hollywood Reporter announced that Jaime Pressly had joined the film's cast, playing the best friend of Rashida Jones' character.[14] Hamburg comically stated that he was lucky in casting J.K. Simmons because his contract states "he has to be in one out of every four movies made."[15] Jon Favreau started working on the film the same week Iron Man came out, a film which he directed. He said he "probably wouldn't have agreed to have done it had I known my life was going to be that shape", but Iron Man star Robert Downey Jr. told him that "It is the best thing you could do" – he said 'chop wood, carry water,' which is what they do in the Kung Fu movies to keep you humble."[16]

One of late President of Egypt Anwar Sadat's daughters filed a lawsuit against the filmmakers because, in the film, Sydney's dog is named after her father. He tells Peter that he thinks "they look exactly alike." Samir Sabri, the lawyer in the case, asked the US embassy to apologize. Complaints have been raised by Egyptian bloggers as well.[17] In the Arab world, "dog" is often used as an insult, and, in the more specific context of Islam, dogs have historically been seen as unclean.

Rush were approached by Hamburg, a fan of the band, to appear in the film. The filming schedule was tight because there was a one-day window between two of their concerts on tour. The band later said that they enjoyed the experience.[18] Hamburg felt that "once Rush got that I wasn't poking fun at them, that I'm genuinely a fan and the main characters of the movie are fans and it's kind of a loving tribute to them, I think that's when they came on board."[19] Subsequently, both Rudd and Segel appeared in character as Peter and Sydney alongside the members of Rush in a short video played at the end of concerts during the band's 2010–11 Time Machine Tour.[20] In August 2013, Rudd reprised his character at the final show of Rush's Clockwork Angels Tour, conducting the Clockwork Angels Orchestra (a string section which accompanied the band) during the song "YYZ."[21] In 2015, on Rush's R40 Live Tour, Rudd and Segel were again featured among a number of celebrities in an accompanying rear-screen video lip-synching the rap section to the song "Roll the Bones".

Sign at Paramount Theatre in Austin, Texas advertising the premiere of the film

I Love You, Man received largely positive reviews, with critics mainly praising the chemistry between Rudd and Segel, as well as the supporting performances.

On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 83% based on 207 reviews, with an average rating of 6.9/10. The website's critical consensus states, "I Love You, Man makes the most of its simple premise due to the heartfelt and hilarious performances of Paul Rudd and Jason Segel."[22] On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 70% based on reviews from 34 critics.[23] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade B+ on scale of A to F.[24]

Giving the film three out of four stars, Peter Travers with Rolling Stone said that despite the formulaic plot, "the right actors can keep it afloat, even airborne." He also praised the supporting cast.[25] Entertainment Weekly gave the film an C-, and said that "Paul Rudd gives a startlingly funny and original performance."[26] USA Today gave the film a glowing review, stating "the movie works because everything hinges on the camaraderie and undeniable chemistry between Rudd and Segel."[27] More conservatively, People magazine said the movie "sails along on goodwill and blush-worthy bawdiness," but concluded that "like instant chocolate pudding, it goes down easy — even if it isn't especially good for you."[28]

The film was not without its critics. Peter Rainer of The Christian Science Monitor was not impressed with the film, and after noting that the character Sydney seemed to be written for Owen Wilson, Rainer remarked, "Maybe Wilson was busy. Lucky him."[29] The Colorado Daily described the relationship between the male leads as a "watered-down false bromance", noting that the pace of their relationship seemed "rushed", and that Peter was looking out for his wife rather than his best friend.[30]

Segel (left), Jones, and Rudd (right) at the film's Austin premiere

In its U.S. opening weekend, the film made $17,810,270 in 2,711 theaters, ranking number two at the box office. The film grossed $71,440,011 domestically and $20,196,975 internationally making $91,980,359 worldwide. I Love You, Man stayed in the box office top ten for five weeks and was number 27 among films released in 2009.[3]

The film was released on Blu-ray and DVD by Paramount Home Entertainment on August 11, 2009 in the US and August 24, 2009 in Europe and as of November 2009 generated more than $22 million in DVD sales. I Love You, Man was ranked number two in sales during its opening week and declined from there.[31] The DVD extras contains an hour and a half of content including a full performance of "Limelight".[32]

The film has been nominated for Best Kiss for the 2009 MTV Movie Awards for the smooch between Thomas Lennon's character Doug and Rudd's Peter, but lost to Twilight.[33] It was also nominated for a GLAAD Media Award for "Outstanding Film – Wide Release" during the 21st GLAAD Media Awards.[34]