Since this movie for me signaled the start of the "Awesome 2008 Happy Fun Time Blockbuster Movie Year", I decided to include this in my reviews, even though I saw this film a week ago.
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Starring: Jason Segal, Kristen Bell, Russell Brand, Mila Kunis, Paul Rudd, Jonah Hill, Bill Hader and Jack McBrayer
There is only one name that can truly say they are ruling Hollywood right now. Are you ready for it?
Judd Apatow.
The man can now attain legendary status as a producer and writer with his new opus "Forgetting Sarah Marshall". This is a man who can touch a chubby slob like Seth Rogen and have him become the hot new comedic assett in Hollywood. He turned Steve Carrell into a full-blown comedic legend. And now he's ready to pass the torch to Jason Segal, a stalwart on Apatow's Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared (both hilarious shows that I recommend you watch on DVD).
Forgetting Sarah Marshall doesn't exactly find us forgetting about Sarah, but relishing her and following her to Hawaii. You see, it seemed so simple for Peter Bretter (Jason Segal) with his celebutante girlfriend (Kristen Bell), as he was able to live a nuance-free life writing music for his girlfriend's television show and eating "the freshest cereal". But once she dumps him, he becomes a totally isolated and confused giant of depression. Crying during sex, crying while watching tv, what is a man to do?
After talking with his stepbrother, Pete decides to vacay in Hawaii where he can hopefully relax and get his mind off of a girl who just seems to pop up everywhere. And lo and behold, she pops up in Hawaii, with a new, rockstar boyfriend (Russell Brand), no less. It just seems like the mother of all comedic situations.
But see, this isn't good enough for Mr. Apatow or Segal, who wrote the screenplay. Rather than simply make this a story of getting the girl back, Bretter does what any righteous guy would do: cry and self-loathe. It's the vulnerability that makes Bretter a true to life character and he isn't afraid to bare all (literally). And the movie becomes not a story of vengeance, but a story of self-realization and healing. It's a feel-good movie for guys.
But it's not just Apatow's or Segal's show here. Oh no, we see an ascendance of comedic gold here with Russell Brand's sly interpretation of Aldous Snow, Sarah's new boy-toy. His cold, yet faux-Brit warm personality commands every line that comes out of his mouth. His total snobbery against Jonah Hill's candid fanboy is the stuff you'd expect from such an arrogant prick, yet he laces it with Fagin-like morals. It's just....fuck...it's amazing to watch. And while many Brits complain that he is truly an annoyance across the pond, I can see him being a real presence in the way that Eddie Izzard and Ricky Gervais have made here in America.
To counter the man-pain that is exhibited by Segal, we get sideplots galore, where we see the comedy in connections. Jack McBrayer, in his virgin charm, is Darald, a newlywed who tries to figure out the "myth of his wife's clitoris". Paul Rudd, always welcome in any form of media, plays the stoner surf instructor Kunu and just lets the good times roll. And Mila Kunis plays Rachel, Bretter's new love interest in Hawaii, and it's great watching how they both play off of their insecurity and vitality throughout the movie.
I guess the movie could do without Bill Hader's character and his wife playing with their stupid green screen or whatever, but this movie stands next to Superbad, Knocked Up and The Forty-Year Old Virgin as new millenial comedy classics. Sure, it doesn't talk about sex, or getting pregnant, or the end of an era, but it's simple, and that's what makes the heart of it's movie. Oh, and Segal's penis makes it, too. Twice.
TJ's Film Grade: A-
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