Review: "I Love You, Man"

in entertainment in the past few years should include the characters of Turk and J.D. on the sitcom Scrubs.

Their bromance has been a cornerstone of the show since the beginning, and led to the number Guy Love during the Scrubs musical episode. Scrubs doesn't resort to gay panic regarding their relationship, but they do sometimes head into gay panic-adjacent territory, with Turk occasionally feeling the need to verbally reassert his heterosexuality. I'm hoping that "I Love You, Man" and future bromance-centered projects manage to move past that need.

afhickman

The trailer looks deadly.  Gay panic and fart jokes do not a movie make.  Rudd should have learned this from "Role Models."  Likeable as he is, he has played essentially the same character in every film he's been in (high points include "Clueless" and "The Object of My Affection"--both from the '90s!)  At least J. K. Simmons is along for the ride.  Maybe he'll work the same magic here he did for "Read After Burning."

"The mountain has wings."

After 4 or 5 years of making the same movie over and over and over, one of Judd Apatow's favorite lackeys, Paul Rudd, finally makes one which doesn't use homophobic slurs and anti-gay images for laughs.

Of course, since they have made this same lousy movie so many times, this one may not do well, so you know what that means. They will have twice as many homophobic jokes in the next one.

I've wanted to see this movie since first reading an interview of Andy Samberg talking about his role, and it sounded like we'd get to see a gay character like never before.  I'm always worried with movies like this, but don't like to prejudge without having seen them.  Your review was very informational and balanced, and now I look forward to the movie even more.

This looks like a lot of fun!  I love Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, Andy Samberg and Rashida Jones, so it sounds like it's going to be a blast.

I would usually avoid seeing films like this in the theatre, just because I am easily distracted by the inevitable obnoxious straight (?) guy in the theatre who feels the need to "eeew" whenever anything remotely gay happens.  Sounds like the movie might have the potential for a few of those, but overall it seems like they dodged a few bullets.

Great review.

I've noticed a swing back to homophobia in comedy over the past couple years, often out of nowhere--the cab driver calling Luke Wilson "Fag" in the first few minutes of "Old School," and "Waiting" was one long, sniggering parade of "fag" jokes.  (When a movie tries to be satirical about it, as in "Idiocracy," most of the troglodytes in the audience don't get that the movie's barbed comments about people stupid enough to call anyone intelligent enough to speak coherently as "faggy" are about them.)  As I'm currently teaching incarcarated teens, I get to hear plenty of homophobic remarks during the day (none directed at me), and despite my continued metered-out punishments for them saying such remarks, it's still always the first line of attack for insecure teen males. 

One of my favorite "straight boy" romances is the bond between Parker Lewis and Mikey in "Parker Lewis Can't Lose."  It was really clear that they were both straight, yet they also meant everything to each other.  (The couple episodes where they had falling-outs, they actually--gasp!--TALKED ABOUT THEIR RELATIONSHIP instead of just fighting each other, breaking stuff, screwing a girl the other one liked, etc.) 

I also remember being stunned while watching "All the Real Girls," where two male friends were having a seriously heavy talk about their lives, and one started to get emotional; it not only ended with a hug, but a kiss on the neck/cheek from one to the other.  Straight idiots would say, "Oh, you just want the whole world to be gay."  No, I want to live in a world where straight men can feel comfortable showing affection and kindness to each other without fear, lest they keel over and die alone in a dive bar at age 60.

and last year's Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist it's obvious that there are commercial fimmakers out there who realize that gay people are complex, multi-dimensional and eminently available for inclusion in "mainstream" films in all sorts of interesting ways. In other words they can't go back to the old "Fag jokes" anymore.

What's needed now is a commercial feature about the multi-dimensionality of our lives with an LBGT lead character, rather than just a supporting one.

I have built up a huge repetoire of reasons to love Andy Samberg. I have such a huge crush on him.

This entire concept of Mandates and Bromance has been looming around like the entire ideal of Cougars: Older women with younger men (Demi and Ashton, Janet and Jermaine and Kim C. and any hot available guy).  I don't know who was the first set of celebs that were being accussed of being too chummy but the powers that be made a big commotion.  I'm not sure if it was Matt and Lance or George, Brad and Matt but it seems that when the media gets an ideal in their head and everyone is talking about it, in due time there would be a movie or TV show, in the works. 

I work at one of the most hippest restaurants/entertainment venues on the East Coast, I know this is a shameless Plug but my place of employment is called 'The Works in Wyomissing (www.gearforfun.com)' and I can honestly say that there is a pretty gay presence within our staff.  That is from management to the regular staff employees, that our openly gay and not everyone is gay but I can say there is two managers, a handful if not more of employees (including myself), that are and I don't know about the bisexuals or bi-curious but I know they have floated in and out.  The true beauty is the fact that there are some people that have never worked with or been around gay people.  From the simple facts of not being traveled or being young because there are a few high schoolers on the job.  Being employed for and at The Works, they are getting a crash course.  I have to wholeheartedly say that I work with some of the most amazing and just down-to-earth people that I have every met and have the pleasure of meeting.  Girls/women that come in every shape, size and color and are just drop-dead gorgeous and that is from the inside out.  These girls are treated with the upmost respect and admiration from me and most if not all of them truly have love and appreciate for gay people like myself.  Dealing with the guys is entirely another story because most of them are completely all over the place.  Even though there are a few of them I wished were gay or even curious most are openly and proudly straight and practicing heterosexuals.  I have realized that many went from being a bit homophobia to becoming the most comfortable men on the planet.  Can I attribute some of their comfortableness to knowing me?  I have to answer, 'Yes'.  Without getting turned on or turned off, I can honestly say that I work with some of the hottest guys in the world.  Metrosexuals without being too much metro, Playboys without being too crude and rude.  The intellectual types without acting too much like Brainy Smurf and your average jock, that looks all steriod filled but big old teddy bears.  I actually look forward to going to work and getting the opportunity to have a few hugfest and the occasional kiss on the cheek, with sometimes sends chills up and down my spine.  I think many of our friendships/relationships went from gay panic, to them just realizing that I'm exactly like them, wanting friends, love and a bit of understanding. 

"We don't shake hands around here, we hug it out!"  I have realized that a large percentage of straight men are all about hugging and they even let us get in on the act.   

I have to mention that many of these guys are the guys that at one point in time might have made fun of gay people and on occasion, I have to endure a bit of humor that I don't appreciate and I have to tell them about themselves and they understand.  However there are a few times, that I go a bit overboard with the flirting and just being 'ME' and they have to tell me to cool my heels a bit and I understand.  Regardless of us not always seeing eye-to-eye, I realized that most of their teasing isn't coming from a bad place and I try not to take it too seriously. 

Did I mention and maybe I need to mention that most, if not all of these guys are so HOT and I'm not saying that because we are friends, co-workers and the dysfunctional family that we are but they really are some of the hottest guys I have ever seen in my life.  By working with them, I get the opportunity to really get to know them and that makes them even hotter in my eyes.  Still most of them treat me like an older brother and sometimes an older sister but I take what I can from them.  Many of these guys don't care who's around or try to cover up the fact that they are my friends, and I truly feel appreciated, respected and loved by them, no matter where I am or who they are with.  I know they get the occasional riot act from their friends from hanging out with me or talking with me but they get them straight right away, "That is my man Curtis!" 

Sometimes being happily and unhappily single, I get a bit confused and mixed signals but at the end of the day, my Bromances with many of these guys make working there so worth it. 

When 'I Now Pronounce You, Chuck and Larry' came out, I got a few invites to the movies from some of my co-workers but something about the previews told me, 'No'.  Thank God because even guys that love to tell corny gay jokes from time to time, were a bit offended by the movie.  However they love Ving Rhames turn in the film and said that his character reminded them of me.  Insult or compliment?  Who knows.  I can say that there are a few guys that I work with that I would love to date but they tell me constantly that if they were gay or into men, I would be the first person they would look up or hook up with.  If each of us had a dollar for those words, we would be rich.        

It seems that Paul Rudd has been adorable for as long as I can remember and just gets better with time because it seems that he is just as handsome as he was in my favorite 90's flick, Clueless.  I don't think that this film is going to hurt and harm his career because I know a few folks are worried about him getting trapped in these parts or films like this but I have to say that it works.  For many of the guys and girls that missed him in films like Clueless and Object of My Affection, they get the opportunity to see him be the leading man that you would want to take home to meet the folks ,be your babies daddy and the only friend that you would want to share your deepest and darkest secrets because you know he wouldn't tell a soul.         

I don't understand the concept of "bromances". I never have, and I never will. To me, it's nothing more than another stage in the never-ending story of straight and nominally white men appropriating things from people who aren't straight and/or white. They stole rock and roll from black people, and now they're stealing from us gays. Plus, I hate everyone in the Judd Apatow oeuvre, including Paul Rudd and Seth Rogen and Jason Segal and Steve Carell. I also hate that bitch Andy Samberg simply because he's from Saturday Night Live, which used to be funny but has become elitist and snobby. "I Love You, Man" is reason enough why I hate, fear, and can't stand straight white men, especially straight white men with money and power.

afhickman

The bromance phenomenon is catching fire with the media.  MSN offers their top ten list today (at http://movies.msn.com/galleryfeature/bromance/?GT1=28130) and it's a reliable one.  One objection I might raise is that I've always fancied the relationship between the Charles Bronson and John Leyton characters in "The Great Escape" as something more than just a bromance.  Plus, I've always fancied the coupling of Rick and Renault in "Casablanca" as something much nobler than anything suggested by the term bromance.  My problem with all this is that it gives Hollywood the opportunity to tease us with male-on-male action but without any payoff.  You realize, of course, that the ultimate betrayal of a bromance is to let the sex-monster rear its ugly head.  End of story; no second chances.  As long as homo-sex remains a taboo, we all have a problem.

"The mountain has wings."

Thirty years ago, while in college, I came out to a very straight male friend from a "hugging" family. At spring break that year when his family came to collect him, he gave me a big hug and a full on kiss on the lips. His family didn't skip a beat, it was hugs all around. It was his way of showing everyone that he wasn't afraid of me or my gayness in the least.  Given that at the time being gay was still illegal in our state, and all the bars still had entrances off back alleys, it was a huge moment in my self awareness to feel completely accepted by him and his parents. Times have changed a lot since then, but they still haven't completely caught up with my friend.  I dream of a world where it's okay for straight men to be emotionally intimate, and its okay for gay people to be as intimate as they want to be, and folks are fine with either. 

Nous Sommes Tous Sauvages.

I am sorry for HOW I articulated my thoughts. I am NOT sorry, however, for the intent of my thoughts. I probably should not have thrown in the "white men stole rock and roll from black people" line, I'll grant you that much. Having said that, I stand by my thoughts. I am sick of bromances, both fictional and real. I am also sick of straight white men with money and power (in fact, all straight people in that regard) usurping gay culture for their own benefit while leaving us gays with nothing. Bromances are nothing more than gay sex without the gay and the sex. I wouldn't want to be in a bromance with ANY straight man, period, especially that bitch Brody Jenner and those asses from "I Love You, Man". Friends, yes, but bromances - hell to the no.