It's quite easy to fall for 'I Love You, Man'

"I Love You, Man" - I can't say that I loved this new bro-mantic comedy, but I definitely liked it, as it delivered plenty of laughs and a feel-good ending with just the right amount of schmaltz.

Paul Rudd, quickly becoming the go-to guy for male-bonding flicks, plays Peter Klaven, a mild-mannered Los Angeles real estate agent who has just proposed to his fiancee (Rashida Jones, as charming as she was on "The Office"). While planning the wedding, Peter realizes with some embarrassment that he doesn't have any close guy friends he can choose as his best man. Enter Sidney Fife (Jason Segel), an endearingly juvenile slacker who crashes one of Peter's open houses - Peter is trying to sell Lou Ferrigno's house - for the free food. Peter instantly likes Sidney, but is he truly best-man material?

One of the funniest things about "I Love You, Man" is that it's structured just like a typical romantic comedy, but with dudes: Peter and Sidney meet, have an awkward "get to know you" phase, fight, break up, etc. Rudd plays the awkward, straight-laced Peter with perfect comic timing, and Segel ("Forgetting Sarah Marshall") once again shines as a likable man-child. The writing, though, isn't as sharp as in other recent buddy comedies, particularly last year's "Role Models," which also starred Rudd. The film relies too often on jokes about Peter's use of outdated slang, and a stellar supporting cast - Jane Curtin, J.K. Simmons, Andy Samberg - is largely wasted. Still, "I Love You, Man" is a solid effort.

Fans of the film will love Paramount's DVD, which comes loaded with good extras, including deleted scenes, a gag reel, a making-of featurette and a commentary with Rudd, Segel and director John Hamburg. (R; Paramount, $29.99 or $39.99 for Blu-ray)

"The Class" - The description on the back of the DVD case makes "The Class" sound like another Inspirational Teacher Film in the mold of "To Sir, With Love" or "Dangerous Minds." It is nothing like that! Instead, this Oscar-nominated French film offers an almost documentary-like snapshot of teaching in the 21st century. The movie follows a teacher (Francois Begaudeau, who cowrote the script based on his autobiographical novel) in a multi-ethnic inner-city Paris school as he tries to educate students while navigating the tricky cultural, economic, social and racial issues that simmer in many schools today. "The Class" doesn't have a traditional movie plot, relying instead on vignettes about various students in the class. The approach might frustrate some viewers, since it raises a slew of issues and story points without exploring any with much depth. But I can't think of another film that captures the energy and drama of the high-school classroom as well as this one. The DVD includes a making-of and commentary over select scenes. The Blu-ray adds additional material about the actors. (PG-13; Sony, $28.96 or $39.95 for Blu-ray)

"Husbands" - The third film by the late John Cassavetes, pioneer of the American independent film, finally gets a DVD release, and it's a good one. In this 1970 study of middle-class rage and boredom, Cassavetes, Ben Gazzara and Peter Falk (three great New York faces!) play friends who go on a spree of drinking and carousing after the funeral of their close friend. As was usually the case in a Cassavetes film, the actors in "Husbands" worked from a script but were encouraged to improvise their performances, giving the movie the spontaneous energy of real life. Some scenes meander too long - an early sequence in a bar might prove too grueling for some viewers - but Cassavetes' style yields some stunning moments of raw emotion. The DVD presents the original 142-minute cut of the film, rarely seen since the studio cut it after test screenings, along with a nice retrospective about the film (including comments from Gazzara) and a solid commentary from Cassavetes biographer Marshall Fine. Note: This DVD will be available starting Tuesday, Aug. 18. (PG-13; Sony, $19.94)