I Love you man...

Last weekend I went to see, I Love You, Man, which is a story about Peter, a successful real estate agent who is engaged to his dream girl but the only problem is he doesn't have a best man or any male friends for that matter. Peter immediately begins to go on extremely awkward and often times bizarre "man dates" in order to meet a friend to fulfill the position of best man. He finally finds Sydney, a fun-loving and care-free guy, who becomes his close friend and allows him to simply let go and embrace life. However, Peter's relationship with his fiancee, Zooey suffers as he is establishing a relationship with Sydney. This film examines and magnifies the obvious "double standard" that exsists between both men and women when it comes to friendships and what is considered "socially acceptable." This double standard leads itself to specific gender roles within romantic and friend relationships. For example, it is normal for two women to have dinner together and shop all day long. It is not considered awkward if a woman asks another woman for her number to catch up to chat over coffee or simply hang out. However, it is seen as "gay" for a straight man to ask for another guy's number or to have dinner together, especially multiple times. Guys are supposed to casual make their "man dates" happen. For example, it would be considered normal to ask another guy to grab a beer after work or a basketball game but not just out of the blue for no reason.
In the film, when Peter asks another guy to dinner he automatically thinks he is gay and tries to kiss him at the conclusion of the date. It is considered acceptable for Zooey to tell her close girlfriends personal information relating to Peter and her sexual life but Peter must not discuss any details with Sydney. Even as a female myself, this doesn't seem right. Guys should be able to hang out and go to dinner without assuming a romantic relationship will follow. This film opened my eyes to the social limitations of men. Gender roles do put certain individuals at an unfair disadvantage.