So you're a modern guy, you love your mum, you make sure to wash, moisturise, iron your clothes and present yourself so women can find you attractive, you learn to cook, watch World Cinema, cry at the plight of the poor fox left by her mother on Springwatch and know how to sew a button back on your trousers. So is being metrosexual fun?

Don't you yearn for the days when you watched Benny Hill on television whilst eating Bacon Sarnies (Without a plate) and drinking beer straight from the can (I know none of us ever did this, but bear with me for artistic effect), don't you yearn for the days when you didn't have to share your feelings and consider anyone else, well this film is about finding the inner man inside you, no matter how deeply you've hidden him away in your nice shiny Reiss suit and Next home furnishings collection, it's a bromance, a phenomenon which originated in 2009 and kind of peaked then too, with this and the similar Role Models (also starring Paul Rudd).

The Plot

Peter (Paul Rudd) is a successful guy with a beautiful fiancé in Zooey (Rashida Jones), however, he has no friends. She has lots and feels for her man, he gets along with all of her friends, but he has no male friends and nobody who could be best man at his forthcoming wedding. Zooey encourages Peter to get out there and start networking to find somebody who is right for him.

In a nice twist on the usual dating theme, Peter then gets out into the dark waters of trying to make male friends that he doesn't know through work or college, which is actually a whole lot more difficult than it sounds, as he has a variety of man dates which obviously throw up all manner of freaks and weirdos. One day, during his day job as an estate agent, Peter bumps into Sydney Fife (Jason Segal) a charming chancer who has only come along to the house viewing (The home belonging to Lou Ferrigno, the original Incredible Hulk) because there was a promise of free food and drink.

The film then follows Peter as he gets to know Sydney, is this a real friendship, or are the straight Peter and wildly hedonistic Sydney too far apart to be real friends, as their relationship develops, both learn good and bad traits from the other, until the inevitable spoke in the wheel occurs and we are left to wonder whether it was all too much too soon for these young buddies, will Sydney be best man at Peter's wedding, will Peter learn anything about being cool?

Cast

This is one of a number of 'bromance' films released in 2009, and is superior to some of the others on the market, mainly due to the likeability of the two lead characters. Paul Rudd is made for these roles as a straight laced estate agent who is genuinely likeable but really doesn't have a clue, he exudes likeability but lacks the confidence or know-how to really enjoy life. Jason Segal is hugely enjoyable as Sydney, a man who lives life to the fullest and loves every minute, he is exactly what Peter needs and he turns our dull hero's life upside down. Segal enjoys the role fully and brings the same levels of personability to this role as he has to others, you really want him to succeed, even when he's being a bit of a dick.

Sydney is a man's man, with a home he calls, the 'Man Cave' filled with gadgets, consoles and music, to Peter this is a whole new world and both actors really ham it up bonding over music and such like. They are ably supported by Jones as the lovely fiancé, Andy Samberg is amusing as Peter's gay brother, while Jon Favreau and Jaime Pressly appear as married friends of Peter's fiancé, Favreau in particular is making a habit of playing such parts as a side order to his directing work, while the couple are cartoonish and over the top, they provide a perfect foil to the nice Peter and Zooey.

Overall:

Some of the humour is quite retro, with some stupid name calling and some interesting language at all stages, Sydney is an unreconstructed male and therefore his life revolves around, women, food, drink, porn, music, sports and playing console games, Peter's revolves around Zooey, as Peter begins to realise he needs to access his inner 'man' there are some amusing scenes and some that are a bit more uncomfortable.

I really enjoyed this film the first time I watched it, it's bright, happy and the cast do a good job of making a fun, funny comedy with good observational and physical humour, Segal is the star of the film playing a larger than life bear of a man, while Rudd plays his straight man, there is a lot of truth in the film, especially in the difficulty modern guys can have feeling like men, or finding new friends when they have female circles, or work is their life, this is both amusing and at times emotive about the subject, with the two lead actors putting in fine performances and balancing the humour with some sensitive touches, this is a decent film which is worth watching, its not great or memorable, but definitely worth watching for a few laughs.

Funniest Line:

Peter to Sydney: Did you know that the best night I've had in the last 5 years is a night that Zooey and I split a bottle of wine, we made a summer salad and watched "Chocolat" together?

FILM ONLY Review