If Romeo, Juliet, and every star-crossed lover who has followed since have taught us nothing else, it is that finding the "right one" is no simple task. If we have learned only one thing from decades of men and women comically blundering their way to true love, it is that the behavior we exhibit in the pursuit of love can be nothing short of hilarious. But if there is only one thing that we learn from the boxoffice this weekend, it is that the pains, pitfalls, and hilarity of relating are by no means limited to romance. Case in point: Peter Klaven.

Sure, Peter Klaven (Paul Rudd) may be a successful 30-something realtor. Finding his next long-term romantic relationship may have never been more complex than walking into a store the day after a major breakup and meeting the next woman of his dreams. And as I Love You, Man opens, he is so certain of his success in the game of love that he has proposed to his girlfriend Zooey (Rashida Jones). The problem is, he has no friends. His dad's best friend is his brother. His only male co-worker is more immature than my 16-year-old neighbors. And his fencing buddies just automatically assume that when he's not at practice he'll always be busy working, sleeping, or watching HBO with his girlfriend.

As Peter sits silently by while Zooey spends an hour and half on speed dial, the picture is one of a pathetic, yet adorably cute puppy. The fact that Peter doesn't have friends—kind of weird, but not a deal breaker. Of course, as one of Zooey's friends tells her, "A guy without friends can be clingy." As my mom put on the table while we contemplated the creepy possibility that the cute guy you meet at Starbucks could be Ted Bundy—a guy without friends might be psycho.

And as much as Peter seems to have been reasonably content having more girlfriends than guy friends for the majority of his life, as we see on his face when his solo status is placed next to Zooey's tight-knit friendships, his father's buddy bond with his younger brother, and the camaraderie of every single group of men he sees running, walking, or driving by him, even a lucky-in-love guy without friends is kind of lonely.

And so begins what may very well be THE defining film of the "Bromedy." Complete with the self-pity inducing "couple montage," a whirlwind of disastrous "first dates," the chance entrance of "the one," the empowering bloom of that relationship, the conflict, the break-up, and the reunion, I Love You, Man couldn't follow the romantic comedy formula any closer. The only difference is that at the center of this platonic comedy are two men.

As Sydney Fife (Jason Segel), "the one" who Peter finally hits it off with, tells Peter, there is a difference between friendships between guys and relationships between men and women. As any of us who have had both friends and boyfriends/girlfriends know, when you subtract the romance from a relationship, there is a different dynamic. As any of us who have had both male and female friends know, hanging out with the boys just isn't the same as hanging out with the girls. But despite the fact that the guy bond and the guy-girl bond may be decidedly different, the truths that Peter and Sydney reveal in their friendship point to characteristics and values that really should be present in any relationship. And whether we are seeking friends of value or trying to be one, they are definitely worth paying attention to.

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