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The latest outrageous romantic comedy from Judd Apatow’s extremely prolific posse (this time, with Apatow in the producer’s seat), Forgetting Sarah Marshall stars TV’s How I Met Your Mother’s Jason Segel (who, incidentally, was also the film’s screenwriter) as Peter Bretter, a Hollywood musician who composes the score for a big TV crime drama. For the last five years, Peter’s been dating the show’s star, Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell). But then, one day, completely out of the blue, she comes home and dumps him, telling him that she’s found someone else.
Peter is absolutely devastated by the break-up—and no matter how hard he tries, he just can’t fix his broken heart. So, as a last resort, he decides to follow his stepbrother’s advice to take a vacation.
Once he arrives in Hawaii, however, things only get worse—because he soon discovers that he’s sharing the resort with his ex and her new boyfriend, rock star Aldous Snow (Russell Brand). And as Aldous and Sarah enjoy their romantic getaway, Peter is forced to pretend he doesn’t care as he quietly drowns his sorrows, with the help of the resort’s sympathetic staff.
I tend to go into Apatow movies with hesitant hopefulness—because I know they have the potential to be really funny, yet they tend to get old long before the final credits roll. But, despite my hesitation, Forgetting Sarah Marshall quickly won me over. Though the movie does have its ups and downs, for the most part, the jokes are funny, and the story doesn’t overstay its welcome. Sure, there are a few unnecessarily wacky subplots, plenty of gratuitous nudity (almost all of which involved Segel, incidentally), and some excessively crude (and occasionally uncomfortable) humor. But that’s to be expected, really—as is the fact that story totally fits into the standard chick flick formula. I’m willing to overlook the flaws, though, because the story (though predictable) is cute, the jokes (though sometimes over-the-top) often made me laugh until I was doubled over in my seat, and—especially—because the characters are both hilarious and true-to-life.
For fans of Segel’s CBS sitcom, it will come as no surprise that he’s a lovable romantic-comedy lead. His normal-guy looks and those big, sad, puppy-dog eyes make him perfect for the role of dumped-on, heart-broken Peter. Although Segel is great in the lead, though, the supporting cast makes the movie. From Davon McDonald as Dwayne, the bartender from South Central, to Paul Rudd as Chuck, the stoner surf instructor, to Brand’s over-the-top rocker, Aldous, the supporting characters add the perfect amount of silliness to an otherwise pretty typical romantic comedy.
Forgetting Sarah Marshall is easily one of the best Apatow movies. It’s consistently funny, the cast is spot-on, and though it’s almost two hours long, it never really loses its touch. Though it’s still a little rough around the edges, it’s an outrageously entertaining comedy that gives both chicks and guys something to laugh about.
