As far as romantic relationships go, it's pretty much the worst-case scenario. The woman/man of your dreams dumps you, you take off for some much needed r & r to help purge them from your mind, and they show up at the same vacation spot.
An unlikely scenario, to be sure, but that's the premise of Forgetting Sarah Marshall, an amusing and at-times clever comedy from producer Judd Apatow (Knocked Up, Superbad).
Like Apatow's other films, Forgetting Sarah Marshall's hero is a likeable doofus, far from perfect but with a good heart. Peter Bretter, aka the guy whose heart Sarah Marshall unceremoniously stomps on, is played by Jason Segel. (Knocked Up fans will remember Segel as tracksuit-wearing ladies' man Jason from that film.)
He gets top billing in Sarah Marshall and for the most part carries off the role of unlikely leading man well.
At the outset we learn why Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell of Heroes and Veronica Mars), the star of a laughably bad CSI-type show that also features Billy Baldwin, is dumping Peter. She's found someone else - Aldous Snow, the rock star du jour (a hilarious supporting turn by Brit actor Russell Brand). Snow is a pretentious, poetry-spewing dimwit and Sarah is the latest gal to fall victim to his questionable charms.
It's one of the most memorable movie breakup scenes in recent memory in that Peter's character is buck naked the whole time. It's one of two scenes where we see perhaps a bit more of Segel than we want to, but give the guy credit for letting it all, um, hang out.
Segel, Bell, and Brand in a scene from Forgetting Sarah Marshall
After a pep talk from his stepbrother Brian (Bill Hader, another Apatow regular), Peter heads to a Hawaiian resort only to find out shortly after arriving that Sarah's there with her new man Aldous. Awkward! Peter refuses to leave, instead finding himself in a number of cringe-worthy scenarios with the happy couple. But it's not all bad, as the resort's beautiful concierge (Mila Kunis) has taken a shine to him.
As is often the case though in relationships gone sour, as soon as it seems Peter's getting over Sarah she realizes she may have made a mistake in letting him go.
Aside from starring, Segel also penned the script and it's what you'd expect from an Apatow-produced flick - crude but good-natured humour, flawed characters, and relationships that are fairly true to life (even if the overall plot is a bit of a stretch).
Forgetting Sarah Marshall doesn't measure up to Knocked Up in either laughs or emotional punch, and Paul Rudd and Jonah Hill, who added comedic spark to that film, are both wasted here. Brand is by far the most entertaining presence, and the scenes with him are the movie's funniest.
Otherwise it's a sweet, somewhat predictable romantic comedy. Fun while it lasts, but, unlike Sarah Marshall, pretty easy to forget.
Posted by Cate Jones
Agree? Disagree? Email Cate at criticizecate@gmail.com
Forgetting Sarah Marshall ** out of 5
Rated: R
Starring: Jason Segel, Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis, Russell Brand
Directed by: Nicholas Stoller
Written by: Jason Segel
Related links: Official site, IMDB page, Apple trailer
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Posted by: Concierge | December 23, 2008 at 02:00 AM
We saw this movie but didn't get a chance to write about it. Great review!
Posted by: The Massie Twins | April 11, 2009 at 02:39 PM
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Posted by: Personal Concierge | August 11, 2009 at 01:46 AM