Metascore
70 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 34 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 27 out of 34
  2. Negative: 0 out of 34
  1. It's a hilarious comedy made even more successful because so much of the satire seems fresh.
  2. By far the best Judd Apatow comedy that Judd Apatow had nothing at all to do with.
  3. 88
    Above all, just plain funny. It's funny with some dumb physical humor, yes, and some gross-out jokes apparently necessary to all buddy movies, but also funny in observations, dialogue, physical behavior and Sydney Fife's observations as a people-watcher.
  4. ILYM is the comedy that Rudd lovers have been waiting for since he first charmed us silly in "Clueless." It explores both the dweeby and heartthrobby sides of this guy whose crooked smile fails to mask his social anxiety.
  5. Reviewed by: Staff (Not credited)
    88
    This movie was absolutely hilarious, and proved that dating might be easy, but making friends is much harder.
  6. Reviewed by: Stephen Farber
    80
    It's a rare comedy that actually grows funnier on reflection. It benefits enormously from the talents of the two stars.
  7. 80
    Rudd's timing has always been good, but in I Love You, Man he gives the finest performance of his career, breaking his comic beats down into weird and wonderful fractional increments. It's as if he's invented a new comedy dialect.
  8. I Love You, Man is totally formulaic, but the formula is unnervingly (and hilariously) inside out.
  9. Reviewed by: Robert Wilonsky
    80
    The movie delivers an absolutely complete, fully realized, delightfully novel redo of the hoariest of forms: the meet-cute, love-at-first-sight, break-up-and-make-up, racing-to-the-altar slapstick weepy that's been a staple of cinema since the invention of cinema.
  10. Reviewed by: Dana Stevens
    80
    Despite the movie's many flaws, the two leads' genuine rapport is enough to give the audience a solid contact high.
  11. 80
    After delivering scene-stealing turns in "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" and "Knocked Up" Rudd claims the much-deserved spotlight in I Love You, Man, which in its own endearing way tweaks the very same male-bonding pieties that those movies made a fortune celebrating.
  12. 80
    Apatow became the hottest comedy director in the business by seamlessly combining relationship comedy that didn't bore the guys and wild comedy that didn't nauseate the girls; this is a knockoff, pure and simple, but its wit and ingenuous characters prove how far the bar's been raised.
  13. 75
    The movie goes soft in its final stages, but Rudd and Segel keep it real. "Sweet, sweet hangin'," says Peter of knowing Sydney. The same goes for the movie.
  14. What works best is whatever's completely incidental to the story, such as the totes-magotes/slippy mcgippy jive talk.
  15. 75
    Hilarious and socially astute.
  16. Reviewed by: Jason Buchanan
    75
    The result is a film that's comfortable and familiar, but at the same time feels fresh, fun, and original.
  17. Reviewed by: Claudia Puig
    75
    There are ribald jokes and gross-out episodes, but the movie works because everything hinges on the camaraderie and undeniable chemistry between Rudd and Segel.
  18. Reviewed by: Ty Burr
    75
    The movie stakes out a whole new arena - male social performance anxiety - and ruthlessly mines it for comic embarrassment.
  19. Both Rudd and Segel have splendid comic timing and their improvised scenes leap out from the script.
  20. 75
    This comedy of stereotypes pokes fun at poker buddies and coffee klatches only to make room for variations on more recent stereotypes. Some of the boldest 'types provide the funniest bits, such as Jon Favreau's embodiment of an upscale Stanley Kowalski who treats all-male card games as clan rites.
  21. 75
    The real revelation is Lou Ferrigno, in his first non-Hulk-related big-screen role since 2002. OK, so he plays himself.
  22. The central love story, platonic though it may be, is entirely between the men. Their connection - and I'm determined to avoid the word "bromance" - saves this film from becoming just another Apatowian wanna-be.
  23. Reviewed by: Richard Corliss
    70
    The picture is worth catching for the delicate and toxic nuances of Rudd's performance. And one of its funniest corollaries is that it shows how hilarious and instructive a star this perennial supporting player can be.
  24. 67
    What saves I Love You, Man, at least partially, is the relaxed chemistry between Paul Rudd and Jason Segel, both very funny men who are genuine enough to push back against a premise that's often maddeningly artificial.
  25. 63
    Despite the clever premise and several laugh-aloud moments, the film as a whole underwhelms.
  26. Jon Favreau, J.K. Simmons, Thomas Lennon and half a dozen other capable comedians drift in and out. Yet the movie seems long even at 105 minutes.
  27. Reviewed by: Stina Chyn
    60
    For most of the film's 104 minutes, the characters have experiences that range from serious to zany. Although I can't formulate a better resolution to the narrative conflicts, I Love You, Man ends on a note that is too cute and conventional to accept.
  28. Reviewed by: Staff (Not credited)
    60
    An amusing scenario gets a big boost from winning performances all round -- which lift it well above other bride vs. buddy 'triangle' japes like, say, "You, Me And Dupree."
  29. Rudd is amusing enough; Segel, who towers over Rudd, is amusing, too, though the role seems to have been written for Owen Wilson. Maybe Wilson was busy. Lucky him.
  30. 50
    Watching this movie is like listening to Michael Jackson tell you what real men are like.
  31. Reviewed by: Betsy Sharkey
    50
    Could have taken a more relevant, insightful and even funnier cut at a very rich topic. But the filmmakers didn't; they went with dog poo instead.
  32. Reviewed by: Todd McCarthy
    50
    A Judd Apatow clone that's one of the few recent R-rated raunch fests the ubiquitous auteur of larky crudeness actually had nothing to do with, I Love You, Man cranks out the kind of lowball humor that makes you gag on your own laughs.
  33. Reviewed by: Josh Rosenblatt
    40
    And like most women in bromance comedies, Jones does exactly what she's supposed to do by doing almost nothing.
User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 121 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 37 out of 47
  2. Negative: 6 out of 47
  1. Jason Segel and Paul Rudd give very charming and funny performances. To help with that it is very cleverly written and just hilarious and the interesting premise pays off. I give this movie 79%. Full Review »
  2. TerenceS
    5
    Overall, I think this movie is over hyped, by the critics and the users. Now, I didn't go into it with super high expectations. After seeing it though, I have to say overall that it doesn't stand up to to the 70's rating and the 9's, and 10's people are giving it. Paul Rudd is a great actor, in my opinion, but in this movie he comes off with the awkward humor but it seems a little forced at times. Overall, I got a few laughs, but the gags are kind of predictable. Jason Segel is doing his typical brand of comedy. The one thing that makes it all come off without a hitch is that, you can relate to all the characters. All of them seem believable. Overall, a just moderately entertaining movie. Full Review »
  3. What I loved most about this movie, besides the laugh out loud comedy and brilliant acting by Jason Segel, was how true to real life it was. The writing and acting make this feel more like a true-life culture study than a blockbuster comedy. A well-done observation on the condition of the modern man, in my opinion. Full Review »