I found myself with time to kill in Tallahassee after a successful Fraternity conference; so I wandered over to the AMC on North Monroe to catch an afternoon showing of I Love You, Man.

Over the years, there always seems to be a group of actors that love appearing together.  You had Bogart and his crew, Sinatra and the Rat Pack, and the Brat Pack of the 80s.  In the 90s, Ben Stiller and his eclectic mix paved the way for Judd Apatow and his band of merry men.  One of the key indicators is the ability to weave all of the friends into cameo parts or supporting roles.  I Love You, Man is Paul Rudd’s attempt to move from sidekick to leading man.

The story is simple enough – guy never bonded well with other guys and is now in need of some male friends.  Jason Segel happens along and insanity ensues.  Rashida Jones offers nice side support as the understanding girlfriend.  Naturally, the movie is predictable, but its casting adherence to a simple story is what pulls it through.  It was interesting to see Segel take inspiration from “Barney Stinson” on How I Met Your Mother to create his own character.  Unfortunately, while a little Rudd is good, a whole lot of Rudd leads to a whole lot of blandness on-screen.

My advice: Not necessarily a must-see in the theaters, but more entertaining than some of the other offerings out there.