Sarah Marshall is unforgettable

Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Rated R for: sexual content, language and some graphic nudity
Running Time: 1 hr, 52 min
Starring: Jason Segel, Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis, Russell Brand

Rating: Three and a half stars (out of four)

In theatres now



Let me tell you something right now: Judd Apatow is an absolute genius.

I've seen five movies now that were either directed or produced by the man, and was only let down by one. Superbad was, unfortunately, a let down (though I still reserve that a second viewing may change my opinion) but the rest more than made up for it. Knocked Up was a very good film, Anchorman was quite enjoyable and much, much better than I expected, and, of course, The 40 Year Old Virgin was freakin' awesome, and has cemented me as an Apatow fan for life.

And, of course, there's Forgetting Sarah Marshall, which Apatow produced. I am now convinced the man can practically do no wrong.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall is one of those rare films that really takes a while to come into complete fruition: the first half of the movie is quite enjoyable, but not all that hilarious. Then something happens and suddenly, with one scene, the movie goes from just average to absolutely terrific- and from chuckle-worthy to absolutely hilarious. All of a sudden, everything clicks, and the movie starts firing on all cylinders, and from about the halfway point on, the movie is genius.

Jason Segel (probably best known from Freaks and Geeks) wrote and stars in the film as Peter, a music composer and aspiring playwright who is in love with our title character (played perfectly by Kristen Bell of Veronica Mars fame.)

Of course, as we know, love doesn't always work out, and in this case, there wouldn't be a movie without some heartbreak.

Sarah returns home from a trip and Peter couldn't be more excited to see her. In fact, he's quite nude when she arrives home, which couldn't be more awkward when she breaks the news to him that she's dumping him. Of course, Peter's refusal to put on any clothes certainly doesn't make the situation any easier (Peter's response to her request for him to get dressed: "Would you like to pick out the outfit that you break up with me in?")





Depressed and alone, Peter decides to take an impromptu trip to Hawaii, in an attempt to get Sarah out of his head. Unfortunately, when he arrives, Sarah is not only vacationing there as well, but is staying at the same hotel as Peter with her new beau Aldous (a very funny Russell Brand.)

Aldous is everything Peter's not: a sharply handsome, muscular, hugely popular rock singer, and, to make matters worse, he's an incredibly nice guy, which makes it harder for Peter to hate him.

Of course, there has to be hope for Peter, otherwise movies like this just wouldn't work. In this case it comes in the form of front desk clerk Rachel (Mila Kunis of That 70s Show fame, who turns in a terrific and endearing performance.) She's also getting over a pretty nasty breakup, and the two quickly start to fall for each other.

Of course, things get more complicated from there, and I won't go any further lest I spoil the plot, but it definitely has a terrific story that keeps you interested right until the end (a pretty amazing feat considering most romantic comedies don't last for nearly two hours.)

As I said before, the characters are very likeable and the story is enjoyable right from the start, but it takes until about halfway through the movie before everything completely clicks, the humor really kicks into overdrive. It's totally worth it though, because the second half of this movie is absolutely hilarious.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall is one of those increasingly rare films where it has everything going for it, and you walk out of the theatre feeling completely satisfied. I enjoyed it so much, in fact, that I'm even considering seeing it again tomorrow, even though I only got back from seeing it a couple of hours ago.

I cannot recommend the film enough. It's the best comedy I've seen in a long time.