Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Let me start out this, my inaugural review, by saying that I love this movie. It is so perfectly cast, perfectly written, and perfectly paced that one wonders just how much input producer Judd Apatow had on it. Apatow's directorial efforts (The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up) have truly funny moments, but both lose steam by the third-act. Forgetting Sarah Marshall on the other hand, has virtually no drag to it, and is the first movie influenced by him not to leave the viewer at least a tad disappointed by the end results.





The story concerns Peter Bretter (Jason Segel, also gets credit for writing the script), who has just been dumped by his TV star girlfriend of five years, the titular Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell). After several failed attempts of finding a rebound girl, Peter heads to Hawaii for a relaxing getaway in the hopes of getting his ex out of his head. Once there however, he almost immediately runs into Sarah, there with her new beau, sex-crazed rock star Aldous Snow (Russell Brand), at the exact same resort. Luckily for him, Peter finds what could be true love with hotel receptionist Rachel Jansen (the jaw-droppingly gorgeous Mila Kunis, a lot less annoying here than on That 70's Show thankfully).





Although the story is obviously predictable (like most every "romantic comedy" ever made), the movie succeeds based on the strength of its characters. Segel is phenomenal as Peter, making him a fully fleshed out character, rather than a walking personification of miserable. Brand is a revelation as the completely ridiculous rocker Snow, a character not too far removed from his real life persona, it seems. That being said, I'm actually most impressed by Bell's performance, easily the toughest to pull off in the film. In a much lesser movie, Sarah would've been a loathsome shrewish character, a proverbial straw man just waiting for the audience to set her ablaze. Instead, she is portrayed as vulnerable, confused, and in the end, understandable. The supporting cast is also top-notch (Bill Hader, Paul Rudd, Liz Cackoski, Jonah Hill...), each getting his or her own share of funny lines.





Forgetting Sarah Marshall represents the pinnacle of modern day comedy. It easily avoids the traditional rom-com cliches and pitfalls, meanwhile staying true to the genre. It gives viewers exactly what they want, without insulting their intelligence. It's also frequently laugh-out-loud hilarious, a rare feat for big screen comedies lately. There is simply no way I can oversell this movie, it is that good.





A