Forgetting Sarah Marshall Review
Another Apatow Movie, Another Apatow Alassic.
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
May 1st, 2008 - One of the things that makes the Judd Apatow comedies great is the way they put realistic, three dimensional characters into hysterical situations. Forgetting Sarah Marshall continues that tradition, and another modern comedy classic is born.
The movie tells the tale of Peter Bretter, a man who is dumped by his girlfriend of five years, TV star Sarah Marshall. Though the movie doesn't really hit its stride until Peter decides to vacation in Hawaii to take his mind off the breakup, there are some great moments when he's still in LA, trying to bed as many new women as he can. Peter is successful in his quest for one night stands, but he finds the encounters unsatisfying, because he's just not that kind of guy. The girl who keeps saying "hi" was hysterical, but I don't know why Apatow and Co. seem to love torturing poor Carla Gallo; since her turn on Undeclared. Her IMDB page is full of credits like Toe Sucking Girl, Period Blood Girl, and now Gag Me Girl. Poor thing.
But back to the movie. Peter goes to Oahu, and he happens to end up staying at the same resort as Sarah and her new lover, Aldous Snow. You are forced to suspend belief that they would happen to end up at the same resort at the same time, and that they would keep bumping into each other throughout their stay, but any way you slice it, it's a plot device that works, and works well. Peter and Sarah's run-ins, as well as their experiences with Rachel and Aldous, relate to multiple flashbacks of Peter and Sarah's relationship that serve to show just how wrong the couple was for each other. Rather than simply have Sarah be the villain, we see how Peter was also at fault for the relationship failing. Even though Sarah cheated, she also worked hard to salvage their relationship, and Peter took her for granted. Even though Aldous is Peter's rival in love, Peter is forced to admit that he's a cool guy. Rachel is not portrayed as a generic rebound girl, but as a real woman with her own story of heartbreak. Not only does credit here go to Jason Segel for writing the movie and playing Peter, but to Kristin Bell, Mila Kunis, and Russell Brand, who each add humor and humanity to their roles.
The story is also made more believable and more interesting thanks to all of the other characters he meets, like newlyweds Darald and Wyoma, Matthew the waiter, and Kunu/Chuck, the surf instructor. Jonah Hill and Paul Rudd are not strangers to the Apatow fraternity, and both have been hysterical as main characters, but they also work wonderfully here in supporting roles. And Jack McBrayer, aka Kenneth the Page, makes a fine addition to the team.
Forgetting Sarah Marshall has its share of quotable lines, but most of the humor comes from its awkward scenes. The obvious example is the full frontal male nudity, but the double date scene, so full of snide comments and glares, was also truly memorable. Sarah's acting scenes alongside Billy Baldwin and Jason Bateman were dead on parodies, Aldous' songs were hysterical, and, of course who could forget the puppet Dracula musical? I might buy the soundtrack just to hear Dracula's Lament one more time...
My biggest complaint about the movie was that a lot of the jokes had been spoiled by the trailers, but that tends to happen with a lot of comedies. Though some have complained about it being too long, I never once felt bored, and the running time didn't bother me. Overall, if you liked The 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up, and Superbad, you're probably going to like Forgetting Sarah Marshall. The writing is funny, the characters are believable, and the movie is able to throw in just enough poignancy to the mix without taking itself too seriously.
Alan's Score: 9.0 out of 10
For more information visit the movie's official site.