A Bromance, as defined by my good friend Google, is a close, nonsexual relationship between two men. My other pal Urban Dictionary agrees with this definition and takes it a little farther with the origin story of the word. Apparently, bromance was coined in the 1990's when the editor for skateboard magazine Big Brother used it to refer to the relationships that develop between skaters who spent a great deal of time together. Since then, the word has been used to describe some of the greatest male friendships of all time.
They are in my humble opinion, one of the most beautiful things in nature, and I wish that more movies paid tribute to them.
I'm not saying that we've never seen bromances in movies. The Buddy Movie genre is where bromances really started. Flicks like Lethal Weapon, Harold and Kumar, and the Blues Brothers all had bromances that were alive and well. However, packed with loads of action, and other romantic interests, the bromances ended up being subtext and that's never felt like enough to me. The bromance story I want to see most, is the story of how it all started.
Just like a good RomCom, I would love to see how two dudes met and became besties. Did they have a meet cute? Was there some silly misunderstanding that could have been easily explained if anyone had taken the time to ask? Or even better, maybe there was a big moment in the final act and their true feelings were revealed to everyone.
That's the bromantic comedy of my dreams.
Thankfully, in 2009 my dreams came true and the story of a bromance came to the big screen. It had everything I could ever want in a RomCom; a fun take on the classic story, a meet cute for the history books, laugh out loud moments, great writing, a stellar cast, and Lou Ferrigno.
The movie is I Love You, Man... and it's RomCom gold.
I Love You, Man
Played by Jason Segel, Sydney Fife is the ultimate cool guy to Peter Klaven's underdog RomCom heroine. Sydney is a laid back guy who is independently wealthy, well liked among his friends, funny, and straight forward about his thoughts and feelings. In RomCom terms, he's a total catch. Which explains Peter's reaction when Sydney starts hanging out with him; weird nicknames, awkward phrases, and questionable fist bumps turn into Peter's normal actions when talking to his cool new friend. Some of my favorite moments in the movie are watching Peter fumble through simple conversation as he tries to figure out if Sydney wants to be his friend or not.
I think that the best part of this movie, and there's almost too many to count, is just how natural everything unfolds. Sometimes, the comedy and story in RomComs can feel a little forced. Like, the writers had to add a few extra lines just to make sure the joke lands, or that the next plot point is revealed in an obvious way, just to make sure the audience stays on track. In I Love You, Man there's no need for those extra lines or for reveals, everything progresses just the way you think it should.
What Peter and Sydney share is the perfect bromance, and maybe that's why there haven't been other Bromantic Comedies.
There have been countless movies that feature a bromance; Crazy, Stupid, Love and That Awkward Moment top the list, but none have shone the spotlight on that type of love quite like I Love You, Man. Honestly, that's probably for the best. If another movie came along and presented itself as a bromantic comedy on the same level as this movie and didn't deliver, that would be the worst taste of betrayal, and could prevent other bromantic comedies form being made. The best thing to do is look back on this movie fondly, watch it whenever you want to experience the perfect bromance and never hesitate to say those four special words...
I love you, man.
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