I Love You, Man

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"I love you, Tycho Brohe." —Sydney, during the wedding.

A 2009 comedy film directed by John Hamburg, the writer of Zoolander, as well as Meet the Parents, Meet the Fockers, and Little Fockers (but don't hold that against him). Peter has a good job, a nice house, and a beautiful girlfriend who has just become his fiancée (Rashida Jones). Things seem wonderful, until the fiancée's friends start to comment on Peter's apparent lack of male friends. Even his family can't seem to recall any. Soon, no one is sure who will be Peter's best man, or whether he will even have one. So he sets off on a quest to find a good male friend, by going on as many man-dates as he can. Hilarity Ensues.

Just about everything in the movie is played for laughs, especially the subtle (and not so subtle) homosexual undertones that come out of using RomCom tropes to tell a movie about two straight dudes. It may in fact merit being categorized as a Bromantic Comedy, perhaps the first full-fledged member of the genre.

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Tropes used in I Love You, Man include:

• Amazingly Embarrassing Parents: Peter's dad lives this trope.
• Angrish: Sydney's reaction to being hit in the leg with a golf ball.

Sydney: Fucking cock...in my...fucking shit!!"

• Adorkable: Peter is a textbook example (though he's more socially awkward than nerdy), as pretty much anything he says in an attempt to be cool is a combo of hilarious, embarrassing and clumsy.

Peter: I will see you there or I will see you on another time. Sydney: (Beat) That was very confusing. I don't know if you're gonna come or not. Peter: No, I'll be there. I'll be there. Sydney: [laughing] Alright I'll see you then, buddy. Peter: Alright. Laters on the menjay. [Hangs up] Peter: (beat) What did I just say?

• As Himself: Lou Ferrigno, as Peter's big real estate account. He's only on-screen for a little while, but the movie gets a lot of millage out of Ferrigno's former role.
• Camp Gay: Subverted with Peter's openly gay brother Robbie. Played straight with one of the candidates Peter courts.
• Cluster F-Bomb: See "Angrish" above.
• "Falling in Love" Montage
• Good People Have Good Sex: Slightly subverted when Peter admits he'd like it if Zooey gave him more oral sex. Also hilariously subverted with Denise and Barry.
• Homoerotic Subtext: Largely the point of the whole movie. See this article's intro.
  • And Peters father and Hank Mardukas.
• In Touch with His Feminine Side: Peter.
• Improv: Several of Peter's lines were improvised by Paul Rudd, which was most likely to to add to the clumsiness of what he says.
• Jerkass: Tevin.
• Loony Friends Improve Your Personality
• Man Hug
• Manic Pixie Dream Guy
• Mistaken for Gay: Peter at several points, particularly by Doug.
• Oh Crap: Peter's reaction to seeing the billboards that Sydney paid for.
• Precision F-Strike: Peter to Tevin: "Stay the FUCK away from my listing!" Also, the self-deprecating "...fuck" after leaving Sydney an incredibly awkward message.
• Ragtag Bunch of Misfits: Peter's groomsmen include his father, gay brother, the man dates...and Lou Ferrigano
• Romantic Comedy: Averted, but just barely. Between the date montages, awkward phone message (including message rehearsal), and worrying about the "rules" of man-dating, a lot of the movie's humor comes from playing with Rom Com tropes we all know, just transplanted to an unusual context.

Peter (recording a message to Sydney): Hey Peter, it's Sydney Klaven. Uh no, that's not right. Sydney, it's Peter Klaven.

• Running Gag: Peter's awkwardness around Sydney lasts quite a while, bordering on schoolboyish infatuation. The resulting gag is Peter's utter inability to think up a half decent, or even intelligible, nickname for Sydney.
• Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace: Played with as Sydney isn't trying to steal Peter from Zooey but is showing his love for Peter. If you listen closely Sydney arrives as the priest says "If anyone can show just cause why they should not marry."
• Invisible to Gaydar: Robbie and, at first, the architect Peter "dates".
• Terrible Interviewees Montage Peter's "man-date" montage is an example of an adaptation of the romantic comedy variation.
• Title Drop
  • Parodied when their proclamations of (platonic) love escalate. Rapidly.

Peter: I love you, dude. Sydney: I love you, Bro Montana. Peter: I love you, homes. Sydney: I love you, Broseph Goebbels. Peter: I love you, muchacho.