Friday, April 18, 2008

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

http://www.cbc.ca/cp/entertainment/080415/e041504A.jpghttp://www.tampabay.com/multimedia/archive/00019/WEK_Forgetting04170_19300c.jpeg
***1/2 Stars

The Judd Apatow gang is back, with Jason Segal taking over the leading role. Segal is a man not afraid to exploit his penis for a laugh. It may be a bit degrading, but damn is it funny. He plays Peter Bretter, a man destroyed after a devastating break-up with his TV star girlfriend Sarah Marshall, played by Kristen Bell. At first, you may be skeptical whether or not to believe Peter could actually get a girl like Sarah, but I think we got past that with Apatow's Knocked Up, with Seth Rogan getting Katherine Heigl. In order to get over his break-up, Peter travels to Hawaii to forget his love and to clear his mind. That doesn't work when you show up to the same hotel Sarah is at, with her new boyfriend. Sitcom situation? I guess. Sitcom execution? Not at all.

Like what you'd expect from an Apatow produced comedy, the film's dialogue and witty response to its situations are perfectly executed. Segal lets it all hang out (literally), and is not afraid to make Peter an unbelievable mess. When he gets to Hawaii, his crying is so loud, that the hotel sends up Rachel (Mila Kunis) from the front desk to ask if the crying girl could quiet down because it’s disturbing the neighbors. Rachel and Peter begin to share some similarities between past relationships and begin to bond. Yes, Jason Segal's Peter has attracted both Kristen Bell and Mila Kunis. Hope for those physically challenged?

Alright, maybe I've been a bit too harsh on Segal. He's not a bad looking guy, it's just not what we stereotypically see in Hollywood. This is why I love films like this. We get enough fake and plastic models dealing with relationships on MTV and Days of our Lives. It's the simple things that Forgetting Sarah Marshall does with its characters. Yes, the film is consistently funny due to some hilarious one-liners, but it's the situations that we all relate to that make us laugh and smile. Peter gets to know the hotel staff and guests, as he learns to find what's important in his life.

The supporting cast has the regular Apatow crew involved, including Paul Rudd as a stoned-surfer, Jonah Hill as an obsessed host to the hotel's restaurant, and Bill Hader as his half brother. It may lack the gut-busting laughter that Superbad and The 40-Year Old Virgin gave us, but it equals its story, which can be far more important. We relate to Peter, laugh with him when he's down, smile when he smiles, and wait patiently and excitingly for another Apatow picture.