‘Bromance’ Flix and the State of Dudedom
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I Love You, Man
Directed by John Hamburg
Dreamworks SKG

Funny People
Directed by Judd Apatow
Universal

The Hangover
Directed by Todd Phillips
Warner Brothers

“I HATE THIS. There are no rules for male friendships.” So complains Peter, the friendless protagonist of I Love You, Man, just one of the latest additions to that ever-expanding genre in popular cinema known as the “bromantic comedy.” Newsweek writer Ramin Setoodeh notes that unlike the traditional buddy film, the bromance “shows us that straight guys, even without the aid of a high-speed car chase, can bond almost as strongly as heterosexual lovebirds” (6/8/09).