According to NASA researchers, current trends indicate that by the year 2020, every film will star Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, Seth Rogen, or some combination of the three. Evidence of this inexorable trend: 2009’s I Love You, Man, another “guy flick” with Rudd and Segel.

Realtor Peter Klaven (Rudd) appears to be the perfect boyfriend, but his new fiancée Zooey (Rashida Jones) comes to have one concern: he has no male friends. Her friends tell her that this is a bad sign, and Peter overhears their warnings. He takes this to heart and sets out to meet a new male friend.

Peter’s efforts flop until he runs into Sydney Fife (Segel) at an open house. Sydney seems to be the kind of cool guy Peter would like to befriend, and they quickly connect. This sets up an odd triangle among Peter, Sydney and Zooey that takes us through much of the story.

After 416 of these damned “bromances” – now there’s a phrase in “Gots Ta Go” territory – I entered Man with trepidation. I wasn’t eager to see it theatrically, but a friend talked me into it. I can’t say that Man blew away my lackluster expectations, but I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.

For all intents and purposes, Man lacks a story. It’s much more about the characters and relationships than it is about any kind of plot, and that’s fine. Not everything requires a deep story line, so a flick that concentrates on comic banter and situations is okay by me.

I will admit that Man takes on an interesting – and true – topic: how tough it is to make platonic friends after a certain age. When you try, it feels kind of freaky, and the gay overtones – which the movie notes – don’t help. Is it this difficult for women? Probably not, largely because of the gay thing. It’s an underdeveloped theme in general, so it’s cool to see it explored here.

Much of the charm comes from the cast, even though Rudd’s take on Peter can seem awfully pathetic. Actually, that’s part of what makes Peter unique: he’s so damned lame, though we can still kind of identify with him. I admire Rudd’s fearless approach to the role, as he’s unafraid to make himself look like a total wuss and a tool.

But he’s a likable tool, and Segel delivers a nice guy charm as Peter’s new best friend. As I mentioned when I reviewed Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Segel works best in supporting roles. When he’s in the spotlight, he seems a bit overwhelmed, but his talents come across in a more definite manner when he lets someone else take the lead.

It helps that Man comes with a terrific supporting cast. In particular, Jon Favreau offers a delightfully surly turn as the husband of Zooey’s friend. He’s completely unpleasant in the role, and that’s a good thing. We also find talents like JK Simmons, Jane Curtin, Thomas Lennon and others. Heck, even the often-annoying Andy Samburg satisfies here.

Although the genre threatens to become oversaturated, at least I Love You, Man provides good entertainment. An interesting premise and a good cast allow it to offer breezy amusement. Don’t expect a classic, but it’s a fun experience.

By the way, stick through the end credits for scenes at the wedding reception.

I Love You, Man appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.85:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. Expect a good transfer.

Sharpness appeared acceptably accurate and detailed. A wee bit of softness crept into a few wide shots, but the majority of the flick provided good definition and clarity. Moiré effects and jagged edges presented no concerns, and edge enhancement remained absent. No print flaws materialized; the film remained clean and fresh.

In terms of colors, the flick went with a moderately subdued set of tones. Hues stayed on the natural side, with a mild golden feel to things. Within those parameters, the tones looked fine. Blacks were dark and firm, while shadows appeared clear and well-developed. The image didn’t really excel, but it was solid.

As for the film’s Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, it offered a functional effort and that was all. Of course, I didn’t expect a dazzling soundfield from this sort of comedy, and I got exactly what I anticipated. In terms of effects, general ambience ruled the day. Surround usage stayed limited; the back speakers gently fleshed out various settings but did no more than that.

In those forward channels, the music provided nice stereo separation and opened up the mix reasonably well. There wasn’t a whole lot of activity or movement, but the effects conveyed a passable sense of space and place. The track functioned appropriately for the story.

Audio quality appeared fine. Dialogue was consistently warm and natural, and speech displayed no concerns related to edginess or intelligibility. Effects were a minor component of the mix, and they seemed appropriately subdued and accurate; there wasn’t much to hear, but the various elements were clean and distinct. The music came across as acceptably distinctive. This was a standard “comedy mix” and became a decent reproduction of the material.

When we head to the set’s extras, we start with an audio commentary from director John Hamburg and actors Paul Rudd and Jason Segel. All three sit together for this running, screen-specific piece. They discuss cast, characters and performances, sets and locations, cut and altered sequences, and a few other production tidbits.

If you want a deep look at the filmmaking processes, you’ll not get it here. However, that’s not the appeal of a track with this lineup. Instead, they provide an often-funny anecdotal look at the shoot. They don’t give us the greatest view of the flick, but they make this an enjoyable track with enough information to succeed.

For more behind the scenes, we go to the 17-minute and 29-second The Making of I Love You, Man. It features Hamburg, Rudd, Segel, producer Donald De Line, executive producer Andrew Haas, co-producer Anders Bard and actors Rashida Jones, Jon Favreau, Jaime Pressly, Andy Samberg, Rob Huebel, Tom Lennon, Lou Ferrigno, Sarah Burns, Jane Curtin and JK Simmons. The show covers the project’s roots and development, cast, characters and performances, and some scene specifics.

The latter are the most interesting aspects, especially when we see all the work put into the movie’s big vomit scene. Otherwise “Making” is a pretty ordinary promotional piece. We get some decent insights but nothing unusually good.

Plenty of cut footage appears. Under Extras, we find 22 minutes and 25 seconds of outtakes. We get alternate lines for a slew of scenes. A lot of these are amusing, and the package is fun to see.

Next we find six Extended Scenes (12:39) and three Deleted Scenes (3:18). The lengthier clips are generally enjoyable, but most definitely needed to be cut; in particular, the “Wedding” sequence just goes on forever. As for the “Deleted Scenes”, they’re more interesting. I’m not sure any of them should’ve been in the final flick, though I like the one at the bowling alley; it adds a little more to Peter’s brother and father.

In addition to the film’s “red band” trailer, we get a Gag Reel. It runs 11 minutes, 26 seconds and features the standard array of goofs and giggles. It also throws out a few alternate lines, and those are fun, though you have to sit throw the usual silliness to find them.

Despite the tapped out nature of this kind of guy-based comedy, I Love You, Man keeps us interested. The movie doesn’t reinvent any wheels, but it boasts a nice cast and proves to be amusing and enjoyable. The Blu-ray offers very good picture, acceptable audio and a nice collection of supplements. This is a nice release for an entertaining film.