If there’s one thing the studio cash cow is good at, it’s over-hyping. Two weeks before the film came out, Paramount shipped out press kits in tempting packaging for the upcoming comedy I Love You, Man. The actual disc, however, proved way more disappointing than stimulating.
Inside, there is a mini-novel of production notes tucked in the front sleeve and a disc with the theatrical trailer and a handful of production stills all with essentially the same synoptic caption. The “Meet the Cast” description goes on and on, calling Rashida Jones — an actress who’s only claim to fame is a few episodes in The Office getting in between the most lovable couple on TV — one of Hollywood’s “bright young stars.” The rest of the production notes blab on with unnecessary “trivia” and a synopsis that is basically the theatrical trailer translated into text.
What’s the point in wasting big bucks pushing a film that already has perks to its name? Paul Rudd (Knocked Up, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Role Models) and Jason Segel (Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Knocked Up) have already built up plenty of fan base as members of Judd Apatow’s all-star comedy crew. Plus, the story itself looks like it has the potential to really shine. Writer and director John Hamburg has more than enough comedy chops to his name, co-penning Meet the Parents, Meet the Fockers and Zoolander.
Wouldn’t the obvious star power of all three of these rising comedy stars be enough to sell a movie to the masses? The press kit seems like a desperate attempt to build and sustain hype for a film that likely is already garnering support. Paramount is obviously trying to develop that deafening buzz that either completely turns people off from the movie or makes them turn out in droves at the theatre wearing I Love You, Man paraphernalia. Now, a comedy is worthless to studio execs if it doesn’t generate recognition on par with powerhouses like Caddyshack or Airplane, films whose legacies live on throughout generations. The trend now is push, push, push and hope the jokes don’t fall flat. Comedic genius is becoming calculated and the fresh originality of films that captivated not too long ago, like The 40-Year-Old Virgin, might all together disappear. Comedies should speak, or rather joke, for themselves, and not be put on a pedestal by endless chatter from the studio backing it.
Only time will tell if I Love You, Man can live up to the press kit hype. Most want to see Segel and Rudd succeed because both have been toiling away in best friend roles and deserve more time in leading man roles. Who knows, maybe I Love You, Man could even be the first real step on Jones’ quest to become a “bright young star."
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