Common Sense Media Review
By James Rocchi
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Male bonding comedy is very crude -- but good-hearted.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 17+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
I Love You, Man
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 13 parent reviews
Based on 18 kid reviews
Kids say this film is a mixed bag; while many find it hysterical and appreciate its buddy comedy aspects, others criticize it for excessive profanity and crude humor. Despite its R-rating for strong language and sexual references, some viewers argue that it's surprisingly tame and holds valuable comedic moments with an admirable message about friendship.
- excessive profanity
- buddy comedy
- mixed reviews
- strong comedic moments
- themes of friendship
- tame for rating
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
In I LOVE YOU, MAN, Peter (Paul Rudd) has proposed to his girlfriend, Zooey (Rashida Jones); wedding preparations are underway when Peter realizes that he doesn't have a male best friend to ask to be his best man. So he embarks on a quest to make male friends, but his efforts are as ineffectual as they are strained. Then Peter meets relaxed free-spirit Sydney (Jason Segel), and it seems like he could be "the one." But Peter is going to find out that having a best friend isn't always easy.
Is It Any Good?
Like similarly-toned comedies The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Superbad, I Love You, Man, walks a fine line in depicting outlandish, vulgar behavior on the road to wisdom. While I Love You, Man may not walk that line as smoothly as those earlier films, it also has a grace of its own, specifically thanks to Rudd's underplayed scene-stealing performance as a man more than a little uncomfortable in his own life.
Segel is also fine as a slightly solipsistic slacker -- Sydney lives the way he wants to, which can make him both an inspiration and an irritation -- and the rest of the supporting cast, most notably Jon Favreau and Jaime Pressly's feuding, loving couple -- are excellent as well. Director John Hamburg also has the good judgment to simply let his cast rip in some of the funnier, zingier moments of dialogue. I Love You Man looks sour and slick, but it's surprisingly earnest and heartfelt once you get past its more outlandish excesses.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about whether the movie's message comes across amid the crude humor. Does the film's reliance on strong language and sex jokes undermine its themes and positive messages, or does it make those messages more likely to be seen by a broad audience?
Discuss the real question of male friendship. Do men, in general, lack the emotional vocabulary to form new friendships after a certain age? And what emotional needs does male friendship meet?
Movie Details
- In theaters : March 20, 2009
- On DVD or streaming : August 11, 2009
- Cast : Jason Segel , Paul Rudd , Rashida Jones
- Director : John Hamburg
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s) , Black Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Paramount Pictures
- Genre : Comedy
- Run time : 110 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : pervasive language, including crude and sexual references
- Last updated : December 5, 2025
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate