Trauzeuge gesucht! (2009)

Trauzeuge gesucht!: Directed by John Hamburg. With Paul Rudd, Rashida Jones, Sarah Burns, Greg Levine. Friendless Peter Klaven goes on a series of man-dates to find a Best Man for his wedding. But, when his insta-bond with his new B.F.F. puts a strain on his relationship with his fiancée, can the trio learn to live happily ever after?

“When I first heard about this movie, I became a little irritated. The premise seemed to me like a u0026quot;romantic comedy for gaysu0026quot; except with a few lines to make it a u0026quot;bromance.u0026quot; It makes sense, as most guys in the target age group (high schoolers and college aged) are quite uncomfortable discussing sexual orientation in any context (Donu0026#39;t believe me? Try raising the topic with your best buddies). It seemed like it was wimping out instead of taking a chance and really making a movie that could make said guys comfortable about this sort of thing.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThis may be the filmu0026#39;s intention, but it hides it well. The romance between Peter (Paul Rudd) and Zooey (Rashida Jones) is well-integrated and quite important to the story. If anything, it represents a major stepping stone.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI approached this film with much trepidation; I donu0026#39;t especially like Judd Apatow movies. Some of the stuff is funny, but a lot of it is too understated, like Clark Duke in u0026quot;Sex Driveu0026quot; or u0026quot;Kick Assu0026quot; (watch the trailers of either one of those movies and when the dorky kid with glasses talks, youu0026#39;ll see what I mean). Worse, Jason Segel wrote and starred in u0026quot;Forgetting Sarah Marshall,u0026quot; a movie of that ilk that I didnu0026#39;t like at all. Fortunately, none of those characteristics made into this movie. The jokes flow naturally and the film has energy and chemistry between the actors. This result is 90+ minutes of absolute hilarity.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003ePeter (Paul Rudd) has always been a ladies man. Women love him, and he finds them very easy to talk to. Thatu0026#39;s one of the reasons why Zooey (Rashida Jones) falls head over heels for him, and when he proposes, she accepts. But once wedding plans get underway, he realizes that he has no best guy friends to make up his share of the wedding party. So with his friends encouragement, he sets out to find a new best guy friend. After a few disastrous u0026quot;man dates,u0026quot; he runs into Sydney (Jason Segel), a fun loving guy with a lot of advice on how to break loose and have fun.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe best thing about this movie is that everything unfolds naturally. True, it follows the familiar beats of the genre, but nothing that happens is contrived. The characters actions are genuine and make sense from what we know about them, and that makes it more honest (not to mention effective.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe leads are great. Paul Rudd tones down the u0026quot;funny smartassu0026quot; personality that made him famous and instead acts like a likable guy, albeit without male/male social skills and a penchant for creating bad nicknames and catchphrases. Peter is an easy guy to like, and he has good chemistry with both of his co-stars, Rashida Jones and Jason Segel. Segel is a revelation. Heu0026#39;s one of the most likable characters Iu0026#39;ve seen on screen in a long time. Heu0026#39;s easy going and earnest, the type of guy anyone would want as a best friend. However, some of his philosophies on life and social skills come off as scripted, and try as he might, Segel isnu0026#39;t able to make them sound otherwise. Rashida Jones is also very good (looking and sounding like Jessica Alba, only more relaxed). When Peter tells her about Sydney, sheu0026#39;s excited for him. If us guys could all have such wives, weu0026#39;d be in heaven. As the gay brother who is on hand to give advice about u0026quot;man dating,u0026quot; Andy Samberg is far less irritating and obnoxious than he was in the utterly awful u0026quot;Hot Rod,u0026quot; which is near the top of my list of one of the worst movies ever made.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eJohn Hamburg is making a comedy, and like the best ones, he lets everything flow naturally. The humor isnu0026#39;t kept on mute, or drained of energy, or kept low-key. Itu0026#39;s totally natural, and thatu0026#39;s what makes this such a funny, and dare I say it, touching, comedy. I was actually discussing this film with my best guy friend, and the movie reminded us quite strongly of the sort of things we would do when we were in college together. Movies that have establish that kind of a connection with a viewer donu0026#39;t come along very often.”