I Love You, Man sheds light on a 21st-century dilemma

Nowadays, it's acceptable for men to clutter the bathroom with beauty products and spend hundreds of pounds on their clothes and bodies.

Cosmetic surgery is also an acceptable and affordable means to achieve the sculpted and toned physiques touted on the glossy fronts of men's health magazines.

I Love You, Man is an hilarious comedy of social mores, which surveys the emotional fallout when a quintessential, 21st-century, 30-something "metro sexual" is forced to rediscover the primal hunter-gatherer within.

Amusingly, his guide to the unspoken rules of male bonding is a confident, assured gay man with a passion for sports, fishing and video games.

Los Angeles estate agent, Peter Klaven (Paul Rudd), is head over heels in love with his long-term girlfriend Zooey (Rachida Jones). He proposes and she excitedly accepts, telling all her gal pals the good news, before they begin to plan the nuptials in minute detail.

For his part, Peter realises he lacks a circle of male friends to call upon as best man and ushers. To combat this void in his life, he nervously embarks on a series of "man dates" to find new drinking buddies, with encouragement and guidance from his gay brother, Robbie (Andy Samberg).

Woman-chasing slacker Sydney Fife (Jason Segel) gets under Peter's skin and the pair become best friends, discovering an affinity for the rock group Rush.

As the friendship blossoms, Zooey begins to feel a little neglected and Peter is forced to re-evaluate his priorities to ensure everything goes smoothly as his fiancée prepares to walk down the aisle.

Director John Hamburg's creation is a delightful and charming confection. The natural spark between Rudd and Segel is irresistible, peppered with obscenities and ad-libs, building to a genuinely moving scene between the characters at the altar that leaves a lump in the throat.

Supporting performances are equally appealing. Obvious gay jibes are largely sidestepped in favour of more sophisticated humour.

I love I Love You, Man.

I Love You, Man (cert 15) is directed by John Hamburg and stars Paul Rudd and Jason Segel in a story showing what happens when a 21st-century, 30-something "metrosexual" is forced to rediscover the primal hunter-gatherer within. And our reviewer's verdict? The script up-ends convention, milking laughs from unexpected sources