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Dancing_P [ 8.0 ]
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I wouldn't go as far as to say that the Apatow machine keeps topping itself but Forgetting Sarah Marshall is probably the best-written of the films thus far. Chalk it up to writer-star Jason Segel's avoidance of rom-com cliches and Rogen-style homoeroticism while fully adhering to the formula of the genre. It's hardly perfect or revolutionary but Segel's script is better at developing fully-rounded characters. Gone are the shrill harpies and drunken sluts of Apatow's movies (probably the biggest flaws of Knocked Up and 40-Year-Old Virgin); while a far cry from prime fodder for a women's studies class, Forgetting Sarah Marshall is one or two steps in the right direction.
Pete (Segel) is a musician coasting by composing for a shitty CSI knockoff starring Billy Baldwin and his girlfriend, Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell). That is, until she dumps him and he decides to take a vacation to Hawaii to change his mind. This proves to be a harder task than he thought as Sarah has chosen the same resort to hang out with her new beau, pompous British rock star Aldous Snow (Russell Brand). He meets cute with the hotel receptionist (Mila Kunis) and spends the entire movie getting into sticky situations.
It's not above easy characterizations (Jack MacBrayer's Mormon newlywed is completely useless and broad) and typical structural cliches. What sets it apart is that Segel never lets Sarah be a frigid harpy, Snow a detestable douchebag or even Pete a blameless good guy. He's actually kind of creepy and pathetic in a self-concious way; if Segel's determination in cutting himself down wears a bit, the ambiguity of the characters is refreshing. It's pretty consistently hilarious and well-observed as well, almost perfectly cast and refreshingly uncynical considering the higher powers at hand.
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chapter11 [ 8.5 ]
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Several years later, I still love everything about this movie. I love Jason Segel's charming, lovelorn schlub, and his utter fearlessness; I love the way Kristen Bell is the impetus for the insanely lovable lead's downward spiral, and yet isn't demonized as some sort of vile she-bitch, which would almost certainly be the case in any other romantic comedy; I love strange little left-field touches like Segel and his hilariously sincere Dracula musical; I even love Russell Brand here, in the sort of role he was born to play, his Aldous Snow a neat mixture of rock-star pomposity and affable naievete; I love the way "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" utilizes its setting to maximum effect, rooting its comedy in tourist-y resorts and local flavor, spiking the punch with intoxicating shots of the Hawaiian sunset. Perhaps most of all -- well, maybe not _most_, but still -- i love the way Paul Rudd weaves a character out of a few hilarious bon mots. The man's a virtual Midas for any comedy; well, except for that one that no one saw where his girlfriend was dead or some bullshit, but either way. (I'm pretty sure the "carpet atches her pubes" line yielded a literal spit-take for me when i first heard it.) "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" is one of the finest byproducts of the Apatow juggernaut to date. Hell of a lot better than "Drillbit Taylor", at any rate.
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suminjoo [ 7.0 ]
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Ok, I already said in one of my reviews that I'm not a big fan of comedy movies and I still stand by that statement. However, this movie was awesome! It was funny but not too over the top - as a result, GREAT!!! It had a nice ending and beautiful scenes of Hawaii which I love. The entire movie makes more sense once you know who the writer is.
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babyduck [ 9.0 ]
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Incredibly unique hilarious film from Writer/Actor Jason Segel. Brilliantly cast with some surprising cameos. I'm happy that Mila Kunis got a role after her stint on the 70s show.
The ending could have been quite different, but I'm glad that it turned out the way it did. A keeper and rewatcher for me.
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DokBrowne [ 8.5 ]
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Jason Segel, like all the stars of "Freaks & Geeks" but perhaps more than most, highly deserves his shot at fame and creative fortune. This isn't quite as funny or unique as Apatow's own films but it's a plentiful charmer with several near-classic moments out of this comedy school's playbook (a naked break-up and the "Dracula" puppet musical could only come from these guys), superbly funny work from Segel, Russell Brand, Bill Hader, Paul Rudd, Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis, and Jonah Hill, a perfect setting (who doesn't enjoy movies set in Hawaii? Except for that movie "Hawaii"), many astute observations about relationships and the break-up process (although the promotional material for the movie, emphasizing Peter's over-the-top bitterness over Sarah dumping him, isn't actually a relevant device of the movie itself), and tons of hilarious, clearly improv'd lines (see also a special feature on the DVD showing the endless auxiliary supply of equally ridiculous alternate lines the actor's brought to each different take). Its achilles heel is unoriginality - the plot obeys ancient formula when it should have broken out into more honest or at least weirder territory, given the particular brand of talent involved. But even in those moments, like the last minute threat of a break-up, there's enough honesty in the details to make it convincing. And it's still genuinely fun. Of all the 2008 Apatow off-shoots (primarily "Pineapple Express" and "Tropic Thunder", but also "Step Brothers", I guess "Drillbit Taylor", and the orbiting "Role Models" and perhaps "Zack and Miri Make a Porno" for sheer similarity in style), this will probably endure as the best.
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jeff_v [ 6.0 ]
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The well already appears to running dry for the Apatow factory (though the preview for Pineapple Express was funny). Maybe it's just because the main characters were just not that interesting, or believable as exes. And it was hard to buy that the sexy hotel clerk would go out of here like that, but whatever, at least Paul Rudd was funny.
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| Weighted Rating | : 7.5 |
| No. Ratings | : 12 | |
| No. Reviews | : 8 | |
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