I loved "I Love You, Man."

On Tuesday, my good friend Steve Prokopy, otherwise known as Steve at the Movies on Gapers Block and Capone on Ain’t It Cool News, hosted a sneak preview of I Love You, Man, a new comedy starring Paul Rudd and Jason Segel. Cinnamon and I and couple hundred other folks were invited.

The screening took place at the Vic Theater, a concert venue that on off nights doubles as the Brew & View, running double features of usually recent movies that are otherwise out of the theaters, and serving beer and mixed drinks along with your typical popcorn, candy and sodas. It was held there primarily so a larger audience could be invited (and so we could have that very adult amenity) but also so that there’d be a nice stage for the very special Q&A after the show: the stars were coming to talk to us, and possibly bringing a secret third guest.

The night got off to a rocky start. A local improv group attempted to warm up the crowd with some bar-inspired comedy. Boy did they fall flat. They almost seemed geared toward high schoolers, who (theoretically) have heard what getting drunk in a bar is like but haven’t actually experienced it themselves. The humor was broad, the skits stereotypical or clichéd, and the actors’ lines were so down pat that there was little indication of improvisation at all, resulting in a weird clash of adult material and children’s theater delivery. Granted, an audience who were there for a movie and not expecting a comedy troupe was going to be a tough crowd, but the actors really didn’t make much of an effort to win us over, either — they just soldiered on to the next bit as the crowd became less and less interested and by the end, even hostile.

When they were finally done, Steve got up and introduced the film, and let us know that Jason was in town but Paul was still in the air, and would hopefully arrive before the end of the movie (the opening act was in part there to stall and give him time). Cue film, and we got to see why more movies don’t debut at the Briew & View: the projection was dim and just slightly blurry, and the sound was set for a rock concert, not dialog.

Despite the technical problems, I thoroughly enjoyed I Love You, Man, and look forward to seeing it again brighter and in focus. It tells the story of Peter Klaven, a real estate agent who has never had a close male friend. His impending marriage makes him decide to remedy that, so he ventures out to find some guys to hang out with. Hilarity of course ensues, but in the midst of it he hits it off with a quirky investor named Sydney, who patiently puts up with Pete’s awkwardness as he breaks out of his man shell. Their relationship becomes a full-on bromance when they realize they share a love of Rush (the quintessential men-only band; you’ll find few women who enjoy Rush) and begin jamming in Sydney’s “man cave.” Their relationship becomes so intense that it begins to put strains on Pete’s relationship with his fiancée, prompting Pete to reluctantly break things off with Syd.

Even with some screwball comedy and improbable moments — Sydney picking a fight with Lou Ferrigno (whose house Pete is trying to sell) for instance — the laughs are genuine and the characters seem real and believable. It’s not a film without faults, but they’re minor and easily forgivable. During the post-film Q&A, Cinnamon got up and asked what the male equivalent of a chick flick was, and Jason Segel responded, “Dick flick.” That’s exactly what this is. If guys actually went out for chick flick-esque viewing dates with their friends, this would be the sort of movie they’d see.

The Q&A afterward was fantastic. Steve brought out Jason and talked a bit, then set him up to talk about working with Paul Rudd. As Jason described Paul as being dreamy — “…staring into those beautiful blue eyes…” — Paul emerged from back stage and they held a big bear hug for a little longer than necessary, with Jason groping Paul’s butt. Steve finally got them to separate, and introduced the secret guest: the film’s writer and director, John Hamburg.

The three took questions from Steve and the audience for at least half an hour. Probably the best moment was Jason Segel performing “Dracula’s Lament” from Forgetting Sarah Marshall live, with mic assistance from Paul. (A moment that would not have been possible had the improv troupe not been there with a keyboard, at the Brew & View with the Vic’s sound technicians — so I guess there was a silver lining to both of those clouds.)