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I Love You, Man · 2009 — Chapter 5 of 19 · 5'01" · B1

Peter Meets Sydney at an Open House, Explained: let one rip

At Peter's open house, a guest named Sydney isn't there to buy anything — he's there for the free food and to call out the other visitors, betting that one man "is gonna let one rip." What looks like a crude prank is the first time Peter meets someone who actually says what he's thinking.

What happens

Peter is hosting an open house for the Ferrigno mansion when a freeloader named Sydney Fife shows up. Sydney eats the free food, sizes up the other guests, predicts that one man will fart, and is proven right. The two swap business cards, and after some hesitation Peter works up the nerve to call him.

RentingSmall talkTeasingConfessingStrangersB1fastamerican
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Listen for

a good vibeafraid to eattrying to impresslet one rip

00:00 / 05:01
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Phrase of the scene

let one rip

break wind loudly

Sydney predicts the man will break wind, narrating it like a sports call.

He let one rip in the elevator and blamed the dog.

Also in this scene

  • a good vibe

    a nice atmosphere

  • afraid to eat

    too shy to eat

  • trying to impress

    trying to win someone over

  • full disclosure

    to be completely honest

  • motherfucker

    a very strong insult

Everything marked in this scene

35 notes across 103 lines

Phrase · B1a good vibe

a nice atmosphere

A visitor praises the house, saying the space and the atmosphere both feel right.

It's a good space, you know? It's a good vibe.
Sounda good vibe

Link good and vibe so it sounds like one word.

It's a good space, you know? It's a good vibe.
Phrase · B1come through

blow through

Well, when the Santa Anas come through, it is majestic.
Phrase · A2need any help

need assistance

-If you need any help, just let me know. -Thanks.
Phrase · A2be afraid to do something

too shy to eat

Sydney wonders aloud why people are too shy to eat at an open house.

I never understood why people are so afraid to eat at an open house.
Phrase · A2be tired of something

fed up with

Yeah, I think he's tired of the Hollywood grind.
Phrase · B1waste one's time

waste your effort

You're wasting your time with that couple. Just FYl.
Grammar · B2which, I'm not a snob

parenthetical: The aside l'm not a snob interrupts the which-clause to soften his judgement.

I saw the guy pull in. He's driving a Saab 9.3, which, I'm not a snob, it's a great car, but it costs $30,000.
Phrase · B1make an offer

put in a bid

Well, I hope that's not the case. He told me he was gonna make an offer.
Phrase · B1try to impress someone

trying to win someone over

Sydney reads the couple and decides the man is only showing off for the woman.

I think he's trying to impress that girl he hasn't slept with yet.
Phrase · B1body language

nonverbal signals

Well, it's body language, you know?
Phrase · B1know someone well enough

familiar enough

It's pretty clear, but he doesn't know her well enough to do it in front of her, so I assume they haven't slept together.
Grammar · B1well enough to do it

enough to: Enough follows the adjective and takes a to-infinitive to show sufficiency.

It's pretty clear, but he doesn't know her well enough to do it in front of her, so I assume they haven't slept together.
Phrase · B2let one rip

break wind loudly

Sydney predicts the man will break wind, narrating it like a sports call.

Watch. When he gets enough space, he's gonna let one rip, I guarantee you.
Soundlet one rip

Run let one rip together as one phrase.

Watch. When he gets enough space, he's gonna let one rip, I guarantee you.
Slang · C1motherfucker

a very strong insult — One of the strongest insults; never aim it at a stranger.

-Boom. That's a fart, motherfucker. -Oh, my God.
Slang · C1crop-dusting

farting while walking — A crude joke term; keep it out of formal talk.

Look at him crop-dusting across your open house. It's a disgrace.
Phrase · A2a little bit + adjective

slightly small

I like it, but I'm thinking it might be a little bit small.
Phrase · B1roll down the window

lower the car windows

Roll down the windows in that car, sweetheart.
Phrase · B1call something

predict something correctly

You called that. That was like a play-by-play.
Phrase · B2full disclosure

to be completely honest

Sydney prefaces his confession that he is not buying the house, deadpan and funny.

Well, listen, just full disclosure.
Phrase · B1have no interest in something

not interested at all

I have no interest in buying this house.
Grammar · B1that at the classy open houses

object clause: The that-clause states the pattern he has discovered from experience.

Yeah. I've found that at the classy open houses, the spread is usually pretty decent, and there's a beautiful bevy of attractive and newly-single women.
Phrase · B2be a revelation

a wonderful surprise

Thank you for the sun-dried tomato aioli, because it's a revelation.
Phrase · C1be replete with something

full of

There's an open house in Bel Air that promises to be replete with cougars.
Slang · C1cougars

older women on the hunt — A teasing slang term; never use it to someone's face.

There's an open house in Bel Air that promises to be replete with cougars.
Phrase · B1specialize in something

focus on

I actually specialize in smaller houses, bungalows, that kind of thing.
Slang · B2My plezh

my pleasure, said lazily — A very casual slur of my pleasure, among friends.

-My plezh. Okay. -All right.
Slang · B2chickenshit

a coward — A scornful word for a coward, used among friends.

Why are you being such a chickenshit?
Phrase · B2an open invitation

a standing invitation

Zooey pushes Peter to call, saying the card counts as a standing invitation.

He gave you his card. It's an open invitation.
Phrase · B2there are no rules for

no guidelines for

I hate this. There's no rules for male friendships.
Soundno rules for

The s in rules links straight into for.

I hate this. There's no rules for male friendships.
Phrase · B2have a function

have an event to attend

You know what? Thanks, man, I'm sorry, I can't. I got a function.
Phrase · B2hook someone up with someone

connecting me with

Hey, thanks a lot for hooking me up with Elmo over there.
Phrase · B1be a blast

great fun

-That was a blast. -What? That guy's cool.

Peter Meets Sydney at an Open House, explained

What's really going on

Peter is trying to sell a $4 million house and connect with anyone who might buy it; Sydney is the only person in the room who openly admits he came for the free food. His verdict on the other guests — "I think he's trying to impress that girl he hasn't slept with yet" — is crude but accurate, and the fart prediction turns out to be the same gift for reading people. For Peter, who is engaged and still without male friends, Sydney's bluntness is exactly what makes him worth calling. The chapter's real tension is Peter's: "There's no rules for male friendships," so even having a card in hand feels like a test he might fail.

Theme

FriendshipPeter finds an unlikely friend in Sydney, whose blunt honesty is exactly what makes him approachable.
LonelinessPeter is surrounded by people at his own event yet has no one to call a friend, so one business card matters.

What you'll learn

  • Let one rip is a jokey way to say fart
  • Full disclosure prepares the listener for a confession
  • An open invitation has no fixed date
  • A good vibe describes a place's feel

Listen for

  • a good vibe — Link good and vibe so it sounds like one word.
  • let one rip — Run let one rip together as one phrase.
  • no rules for — The s in rules links straight into for.
I hate this. There's no rules for male friendships.

Peter's complaint while dialing Sydney: there's no script for how men become friends, so he doesn't know what's too eager or too cold.

Thank you for the sun-dried tomato aioli, because it's a revelation.

Sydney's backhanded compliment about the free food, delivered as if the dip were a life-changing discovery.

I think he's trying to impress that girl he hasn't slept with yet.

Sydney's read on another open-house guest: the man is performing wealth to win someone over, and Sydney sees through it.

Watch. When he gets enough space, he's gonna let one rip, I guarantee you.

Sydney predicts that a guest holding in gas will relieve himself the moment he's alone, and he's right.

Questions about this scene

Why is Sydney at the open house if he isn't buying?

He admits he came for the free food and to meet newly single women, betting that upscale open houses have good catering and a crowd of divorcées.

Why does Peter hesitate to call Sydney?

He liked Sydney and doesn't want to seem desperate; he says there are no rules for male friendships, so he isn't sure how to make the first move.

What does "let one rip" mean?

It's slang for passing gas; Sydney predicts another guest will do it once he gets some space.

Why is Peter warned against more dinners?

Because a dinner date sends the wrong signal for a male friendship; earlier outings made that mistake, so Peter is told to keep things casual.

What happens after Peter finally calls Sydney?

The chapter ends there, with Sydney answering the phone; the call is the first step in what becomes their friendship.

I Love You, Man · 19 chapters

All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 6in a jiffPeter Calls Sydney for a Man-Date
Chapter 1put a down payment onPeter Proposes to ZooeyChapter 2take the leapPeter Misses the Joshua Tree TripChapter 3strike up a conversationPeter Tries to Make FriendsChapter 4get the hang of itPeter's Awkward Man-DatesWatching · Chapter 5let one ripPeter Meets Sydney at an Open HouseChapter 6in a jiffPeter Calls Sydney for a Man-DateChapter 7Hands downPeter and Sydney's First Man-DateChapter 8wet my beakTevin Tries to Wet His BeakChapter 9man cavePeter Tours Sydney's Man CaveChapter 10squeeze inPeter Bonds with Sydney Over MusicChapter 11rock your worldPeter Introduces Zooey to RushChapter 12smoking hotPeter Introduces Sydney to His FamilyChapter 13between you and mePeter and Zooey Fight About PrivacyChapter 14bail onSydney Tempts Peter to Skip HBOChapter 15weirded outZooey Confronts Peter About SydneyChapter 16hit it offPeter Asks Sydney to Be Best ManChapter 17good faithZooey Leaves Peter Before the WeddingChapter 18sick ofPeter Confronts Sydney Over BillboardsChapter 19broke the moldPeter and Sydney Make Up
Chapter 5 of 19 · about 62 min to go