misunderstand the intent
Robbie warns Peter that dinner will make the new friend read the meeting as a date.
Dude, no dinner. He'II get the wrong idea.I Love You, Man · 2009 — Chapter 7 of 19 · 5'03" · B2
Peter and Sydney's First Man-Date, Explained: Hands down
Peter meets a man he barely knows and, within one meal, they are trading breakup stories, sex talk and nicknames. The surface is two guys over fish tacos, but the stakes are Peter's reason for being here: he's auditioning a best friend, and "Hands down, best fish taco I've ever had in my life" is how easily the two click.
What happens
Peter, newly engaged, meets Sydney for a man-date at a taco spot. The two quickly go from small talk to oversharing about exes and their sex lives, and Sydney nicknames Peter "Pistol Pete." They order round after round of fish tacos, and Peter heads home convinced he's found a friend.
Listen for
get the wrong ideabreak it offentirely truthfula great sex life
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Phrase of the scene
Hands down
without question
After the tacos Peter rates them at the very top with a decisive hands down.
Hands down, that was the funniest film of the year.
Also in this scene
- get the wrong idea
misunderstand the intent
- break it off
end a relationship
- entirely truthful
completely honest
- a great sex life
a healthy intimate life
- the best fish tacos in the world
the world's best fish tacos
Everything marked in this scene
34 notes across 95 lines
The t in get drops and the wrong runs on.
Dude, no dinner. He'II get the wrong idea.a deep kiss — Crude slang for a deep kiss; never in polite talk.
You don't wanna get another tongue-fucking at the vaIet stand.excited about
Dude, I'm pumped about this. CaII me when you get home.end a relationship
Sydney asks how Peter ended things with his ex, using break it off bluntly.
All right, so you break it off with your ex-girlfriend. . .lag, a gap — Very casual slang for a gap or delay.
Man, no laj between the vag?intend it to happen
I mean, I didn't plan for it to be like that, you know, with no laj, but it just happened.completely honest
Sydney reads Peter's rising tone and says he was not entirely truthful.
It means you weren't being entirely truthful.past continuous: The past continuous frames the honesty as an ongoing state at that moment.
It means you weren't being entirely truthful.what is going on
Look, I don't know this girl, so you can talk to me. What's the deal?wish + past tense: Wish plus the past tense signals a desire that is not true now.
I don't know, I guess maybe sometimes I wish that she enjoyed, you know. . .buttocks — A playful word for buttocks; keep it informal.
-Getting it in the tush? -No. No, no, no.a healthy intimate life
Pressed on private matters, Peter defends his relationship with a blunt claim.
Zooey's awesome, and we have a great sex life.what someone wants
For what I'm looking for, divorcées are perfect, you know?nothing committed
They don't want anything serious, and neither do I.the world's best fish tacos
When the waiter hints they should leave, Sydney keeps them there with a boast about the tacos.
No, dude, this place has the best fish tacos in the world.The s in tacos links straight into in.
No, dude, this place has the best fish tacos in the world.a Mexican salsa
It's the pico de gallo, man. Just use your hands.when you think about it
Sydney tells Peter to eat with his hands, ending with a self-mocking after all.
We're barbarians after all, men.occasionally
Every once in a while, I go down to the Boardwalk and I just throw my own feces like a gorilla.be up: Be up means the lease will run out, not be physically above.
My lease is gonna be up and I think. . .a barrel of beer
It took Andre the Giant a barrel of beer to get drunk, sometimes two.without question
After the tacos Peter rates them at the very top with a decisive hands down.
Hands down, best fish taco I've ever had in my life.The d in Hands is almost silent before down.
Hands down, best fish taco I've ever had in my life.made on the premises
Yeah, they make them in-house. It sets up the flavor for the whole dish.keen to buy
I never even asked you if you were interested in buying a house.a decent guy
You just seemed like a good dude.have a beer
I thought I'd see if you wanted to grab a beer. That's all.call a taxi
It means nothing. I don't. . . I'm drunk. I'm gonna call a cab.have my contact
All right, man. You have my number, yeah?phone, slurred — A drunken slur of iPhone, used as a joke.
I got you stored in my iPhin.too soon to know
Asked if Sydney will be best man, Peter says it is far too soon to decide.
It's way too early to tell, but it's very sweet of you to ask.get responses
I just wanna see if I got any hits on Ferrigno.breasts, crudely — Crude slang for breasts; never in polite talk.
-Ass, ass and titties. -Stop it. Fucking stop it.Peter and Sydney's First Man-Date, explained
What's really going on
On paper this is just two guys eating tacos, but the scene is really Peter's first real shot at a male friendship, and it works because neither one performs. When Peter calls part of his life private, the other man pushes back — "Look, I don't know this girl, so you can talk to me. What's the deal?" — and the oversharing that follows is what bonds them. The scene ends with the real question hanging in the air: back home, Zooey asks "So is he your best man?" and Peter answers, "It's way too early to tell," already hoping it might be true. The fish tacos are the excuse; being accepted is the point.
Theme
FriendshipPeter and Sydney bond fast because both drop the performance and overshare; a casual taco dinner is quietly Peter auditioning a best friend.
LonelinessPeter's whole evening is a search for one person who will actually talk to him, and the relief when Sydney does is the point of the scene.
What you'll learn
- Hands down pushes a ranking to the top
- After all adds the obvious reason
- Way too early to tell means no verdict yet
- A nickname can be a sign of real friendship
Listen for
- get the wrong — The t in get drops and the wrong runs on.
- fish tacos in — The s in tacos links straight into in.
- Hands down — The d in Hands is almost silent before down.
Hands down, best fish taco I've ever had in my life.A plain declaration of the best taco ever, with 'hands down' stressing there's no argument. It's the same easy enthusiasm that makes Sydney likable to Peter.
Zooey's awesome, and we have a great sex life.Peter's defence after oversharing: he insists everything is fine, and it's the moment he pulls the conversation back toward safe ground.
You. . . You nicknamed me Pistol, and I just called you Joban.Peter notices he's already trading nicknames — he was called 'Pistol' and just called Sydney something back. It's an awkward, accidental sign the friendship is clicking.
Every once in a while, I go down to the Boardwalk and I just throw my own feces like a gorilla.An absurd self-aware joke about acting like a barbarian while everyone eats with their hands — exactly the humor that wins Peter over.
Questions about this scene
Why does Robbie tell Peter not to stay for dinner?
He's worried about signals. If Peter turns a first meet-up into a full dinner, the other man will 'get the wrong idea,' so Robbie pushes him to keep it casual.
Why does the sex talk come up at all?
Peter overshares when he feels comfortable. The other man notices Peter's hesitation, points out that his voice went up, and says 'you're speaking honestly' to keep him talking.
What does "Pistol Pete" refer to?
It's a nickname built from Peter's name — 'Pete' becomes 'Pistol Pete,' an old Western handle that turns a plain name into something with swagger.
Why does Peter insist his sex life is great?
He's embarrassed about oversharing with a near-stranger. He says 'Zooey's awesome, and we have a great sex life,' but his earlier hesitation and his own 'I don't even know why I said that' show he's covering.
Why does Peter say it's "way too early to tell" if he's so excited?
He doesn't want to jinx it. Zooey asks whether the new friend is his best man, and Peter, though clearly hopeful, thinks it's too soon to call it that.
I Love You, Man · 19 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 8wet my beakTevin Tries to Wet His Beak
Chapter 1put a down payment onPeter Proposes to Zooey
Chapter 2take the leapPeter Misses the Joshua Tree Trip
Chapter 3strike up a conversationPeter Tries to Make Friends
Chapter 4get the hang of itPeter's Awkward Man-Dates
Chapter 5let one ripPeter Meets Sydney at an Open House
Chapter 6in a jiffPeter Calls Sydney for a Man-Date
Watching · Chapter 7Hands downPeter and Sydney's First Man-Date
Chapter 8wet my beakTevin Tries to Wet His Beak
Chapter 9man cavePeter Tours Sydney's Man Cave
Chapter 10squeeze inPeter Bonds with Sydney Over Music
Chapter 11rock your worldPeter Introduces Zooey to Rush
Chapter 12smoking hotPeter Introduces Sydney to His Family
Chapter 13between you and mePeter and Zooey Fight About Privacy
Chapter 14bail onSydney Tempts Peter to Skip HBO
Chapter 15weirded outZooey Confronts Peter About Sydney
Chapter 16hit it offPeter Asks Sydney to Be Best Man
Chapter 17good faithZooey Leaves Peter Before the Wedding
Chapter 18sick ofPeter Confronts Sydney Over Billboards
Chapter 19broke the moldPeter and Sydney Make UpChapter 7 of 19 · about 54 min to go