Anthony's Film Review - Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)

This comedy is funny and heartwarming, thanks to the creative mind of its star...

Forgetting Sarah Marshall works for the same reason that The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Superbad worked. It's a movie with something for everybody, particularly both sexes. Men and women may have different perspectives on love and relationships, but that shouldn't make romantic comedies be purely chick flicks. This is where writer Jason Segel, also the star, seems to shine. He has written a movie with both dirty humor and bittersweet romance, because he keeps his entire audience in mind. He appeals to men and women in a way that makes everyone fall in love with the movie.

It does, however, begin with a painful situation. Peter Bretter (Jason Segel) is a television composer who's been with his TV actress girlfriend Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell) for five years. One day, he is excited that she's coming home as usual, but he also cleans up the place. Maybe he's ready to propose marriage. That may not be clear, but what's obvious is how happy he is.

Then Sarah lets the axe fall. She wants to break up with him. First off, it's bad enough that Peter is naked (with brief shots of his penis, somewhat of a surprise for an R-rated movie) when she tells him this. Nude breakups must really be painful, even if the naked person is not expecting any sex. But once Sarah leaves, Peter is subject to torturous reminders of her, mainly with her frequent appearances on TV.

Eventually, Peter retreats to Hawaii to forget Sarah Marshall. Unfortunately, Sarah and her new boyfriend, a dirty British singer named Aldous Snow (Russell Brand), also arrive at the same hotel Peter stays at. Now, he does meet the lovely hotel clerk Rachel Jansen (Mila Kunis), and it's obvious that they'll be going out soon. However, with Sarah still near Peter (actually, next door to his hotel room), Peter's emotional torture continues.

The first half of the movie is mostly a mildly dull but still engaging series of scenes involving Peter, Rachel, Sarah, and Aldous interacting with each other. There are some funny jokes, though not too memorable. As for the second half, it picks up and answers the question about who ultimately ends up with whom. It's more dramatically written and enough for me to bump my rating up by one star. If you do see this movie, you'll definitely owe it to Jason Segel for having a lovely surprise at the end.

Anthony's Rating:

For more information about Forgetting Sarah Marshall, visit the Internet Movie Database.