Paul Rudd Outtakes from 'I Love You, Man'

In my opinion, I Love You, Man is the first great comedy of 2009. A primary reason for that is the work of Paul Rudd, who is as funny as ever here.

His character, Peter Klaven, tries to make himself seem more hip by throwing out catchphrases and nicknames of his own invention. The trouble is, he's inventing them on the spot, and they never, ever come out exactly the way he has them planned. There's a new reel of some of Peter Klaven's finer moments. I'm a bit worried that the outtakes might not have the full effect out of context, but it's still funny enough even if you haven't seen the film. Which you should. I mean, after all, it is the first great comedy of 2009. Or the second great comedy of 2009 following Street Fighter.

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Box Office - 'Knowing' Takes Top Spot, $25 Million

For the first time in a while, the top movies at the box office performed fairly consistently in their debut weekend. After seeing Watchmen make half of its cash on Friday and The Last House on the Left appear to be competitive last Friday only to dry up over the next couple of days, all three of this week's new releases used their opening day as a blueprint for the entire frame.

Knowing, the new sci-fi flick starring Nicolas Cage, took the top spot with just about $25 million, slightly better than most expectations, and had the second-highest per-screen average of any movie in theaters. I have a suspicion that the film will do at least as well internationally as it should do here in the U.S. That could mean an international take of over $150 million. The new comedy I Love You, Man opened well, too, but in 600 fewer theaters. Still the $18 million debut is very similar the opening weekends for Paul Rudd's Role Models and Jason Segel's Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and both of those movies topped $60 million.

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Box Office - Friday Crowds Get to Know 'Knowing'

The sci-fi flick Knowing jumped out to an early weekend lead over the comedy I Love You, Man by taking in nearly $9 million on Friday, according to Box Office Mojo. Can the new Nicolas Cage movie hold on to the top spot? It was always going to be a close call this weekend, but the three million dollar head start might be enough to give Cage another number one debut.

Because so many films this year have posted big debuts on Friday just to have softer returns on Saturday and Sunday, it's possible that Knowing will lose some steam but the percentages still have this one surpassing $20 million without too much trouble. Can I Love You, Man build on its $6.3 million start and take over the top spot? It would need a huge day today to pull even with Knowing, which is playing in 600 more theaters, so while it's possible, comedies don't normally have big spikes in their second days. Both films might top $20 million, which is a better return than Duplicity, the high-profile spy comedy with Clive Owen and Julia Roberts will show in the first weekend. It opened with just under $5 million, so $13 - $15 million seems like the path this one will take.

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Movie Review - 'I Love You, Man'

I Love You, Man Starring Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, and Rashida Jones Directed by John Hamburg Rated R

Although he has been good in comedies since Clueless, and perhaps more memorably of late thanks to supporting work in Anchorman, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, and Knocked Up, Paul Rudd has proven in the past six months that he should be a comedic lead for a very long time. First it was Role Models, the hit he co-wrote and starred in opposite Seann William Scott. Now, it's the even better I Love You, Man. Outside of their wardrobes, Rudd is nothing like his Role Models character here. His Peter Klaven is sweet to a fault, respectful, shy, and incredibly awkward. One particular foible that never gets old is Peter's improvised attempts at sounding cool and laid back. He has a way with words in much the same manner that Robert Blake has a way with the ladies. And it's endless fun to watch. Peter has just proposed to Zooey (Rashida Jones) and everything couldn't be more perfect, except that he has no best man to stand up for him at the wedding because he has exactly zero guy friends. Then out of the clear blue, he meets Sydney (Jason Segel from Forgetting Sarah Marshall), and despite being an R-rated Odd Couple, they hit it off over fish tacos and Rush songs.

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Fearless Forecast - 'I Love You, Man' Could Win Competitive Weekend

It's a legitimately tough weekend to predict at the box office. There are three new releases that should all do about the same business of the course of their lives. Knowing will arrive in just over 3,000 theaters, so it doesn't need to do as well in each location to make an impact.

I Love You, Man probably has the most momentum. Paul Rudd is coming off a big hit with Role Models just a handful of months ago, and his new comedy is geting great reviews. It will arrive in about 500 fewer theaters than Knowing, as will Duplicity, the new romantic spy comedy with Julia Roberts and Clive Owen. Roberts, more than any other actress in history, can open a movie. That this probably won't arrive at number one has a little to do with her decreased activity, but again, theater counts play a part; it will only be in about 75% of the number of houses that Knowing will.

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