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I Love You, Man is a 2009 American bromantic comedy film written and directed by John Hamburg, based on a script by Larry Levin. The film stars Paul Rudd as a friendless man looking for a best man for his upcoming wedding. However, his new best friend (Jason Segel) is straining his relationship with his bride (Rashida Jones). The film was released theatrically in the United States on March 20, 2009, to mostly positive reviews. The film grossed $92 million on a $40 million budget. It marked the third collaboration between Segel and Rudd, after Knocked Up (2007) and Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008). Plot Peter Klaven, a Los Angeles real estate agent, proposes to his girlfriend Zooey Rice, and she accepts. He does not have any close male friends to share the news with, only family and mainly female acquaintances. After overhearing her friends' concern over his lack of guy friends, Peter decides he needs to find some to have a best man for the wedding. Peter turns to his gay younger brother, Robbie, for advice on meeting men. He makes a series of overtures toward various men, including Barry, the persistently hot-headed husband of Zooey's friend Denise. Barry doesn't like Peter too much—a problem which only escalates when Peter, after winning a beer-drinking contest, inadvertently projectile-vomits on Barry. Feeling rejected, Peter is about to give up when, at an open house at Lou Ferrigno's mansion which he is trying to sell, he meets Sydney Fife, an investor who is attending the show to pick up divorced women and take advantage of the free food. They quickly become friends, bonding over their mutual adoration of the progressive rock band Rush. Peter introduces Sydney to Zooey at their engagement party, but unfortunately a nervous Sydney makes a very awkward toast which includes veiled encouragement for Zooey to perform oral sex on Peter more often. The next night, Peter attends a Rush concert with Sydney, on the condition that he bring Zooey. During the concert, she feels ignored by them. The next day, while shopping for tuxedos, Sydney asks Peter why he is marrying Zooey, and also asks for an $8,000 loan. After some thought, Peter decides to lend Sydney the money, and later asks him to be his best man. Zooey, meanwhile, has become suspicious of Sydney. Peter tells her that he lent Sydney money and asks her if she knows why they are getting married, since he had no answer to Sydney's question (not aware the question was supposed to stay between him and Sydney). Hurt and angry, Zooey leaves. Peter goes to work the next morning, discovering Sydney has used the $8,000 loan to purchase several ridiculous billboard advertisements promoting Peter's real estate business (with photos of Peter he had taken). Still upset over his fight with Zooey, he confronts Sydney and ends their friendship. Peter then patches things up with Zooey, explaining that although he is nervous, he is ready to get married. As they prepare for the wedding, Sydney finds himself alone and desperate to hang out with someone. At work, Peter discovers that Sydney's billboard advertising campaign was successful. He won back the right to the lucrative Ferrigno listing and many others left messages, wanting him to sell their houses. Feeling encouraged, Peter finally stands up to his insufferable colleague, Tevin Downey, who had been badgering Peter for half the selling rights to the Ferrigno property. When he makes one final attempt to get a piece of it, Peter slaps him, telling him to back off. Peter feels bad about fighting with Sydney but does not re-invite him to the wedding. Instead, he assembles an array of random groomsmen that includes Robbie, their father Oswald, and Ferrigno. Before the wedding, Zooey sees Peter looking forlorn, clearly missing Sydney. She calls and invites Sydney, who is, unbeknownst to them, already en route to the wedding. Just before the vows are to be taken, Sydney makes a dramatic entrance via Vespa. He reminds Peter and Zooey that he is, in fact, a successful investor and returns the money he borrowed from Peter, announcing the billboards were their wedding present. Peter and Zooey declare their love to each other, Sydney assumes the role of best man, and the wedding continues. As the credits roll, we see the wedding reception, where Peter and Sydney join the hired band (played by OK Go) in a rendition of the Rush song "Limelight" and pull Zooey on stage to join them. As the song ends, Sydney attempts to toast the newlyweds and Peter runs to frantically stop him as the screen cuts out (remembering Sydney's ill-advised toast at the engagement dinner). Cast Production The script, Let's Be Friends, was originally written by Larry Levin. It was purchased but went unused for about 11 years before the film was made. Hamburg was offered the script and kept turning it down, but after his friends moved to Los Angeles he was inspired by the experience of trying to meet more friends to give it a shot. When Hamburg finally took the script he rewrote it to make it as real as possible. The film was originally announced in December 2007, with production originally scheduled for March 2008. In March 2008, Variety revealed that producer Ivan Reitman's Montecito Picture Company officially began production on I Love You, Man during the week of March 31, 2008. Casting I Love You, Man is the third collaboration between Paul Rudd and Jason Segel, following the Judd Apatow projects Knocked Up and Forgetting Sarah Marshall, while writer/director John Hamburg previously worked with Segel on Apatow's Undeclared television series. It only took one lunch to get Segel and Rudd to sign on to do the film and this set the stage for other actors to sign on. On February 13, 2008 it was announced that Rashida Jones would be the female lead opposite Rudd. Later, in an interview with FirstShowing.net, Jones revealed that because Segel and Rudd were already attached to the project she "knew immediately that it was gonna be even funnier than I would think." At the beginning of the March 31, 2008 week, The Hollywood Reporter announced that Jaime Pressly had joined the film's cast, playing the best friend of Rashida Jones' character. Hamburg comically stated that he was lucky in casting J.K. Simmons because his contract states "he has to be in one out of every four movies made." Jon Favreau started working on the film the same week Iron Man came out, a film which he directed. He said he "probably wouldn't have agreed to have done it had I known my life was going to be that shape", but Iron Man star Robert Downey Jr. told him that "It is the best thing you could do" – he said 'chop wood, carry water,' which is what they do in the Kung Fu movies to keep you humble." Anwar Sadat One of late President of Egypt Anwar Sadat's daughters filed a lawsuit in Egypt against the filmmakers because, in the film, Sydney's dog is named after her father. He tells Peter that he thinks "they look exactly alike." Samir Sabri, the .... Discover the Larry Levin popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Larry Levin books.

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