Judd Apatow's latest production is the crass romantic comedy, Forgetting Sarah Marshall (R ). When Jason Segal is dumped by his famous actress girlfriend (played by Kristen Bell) he takes a retreat to a Hawaiian resort, whereas fate would have it, his ex is staying with her new rock star boyfriend (Russell Brand). The movie also co-stars Mila Kunis, Bill Hader, Jonah Hill and Paul Rudd. Nicholas Stoller directs.
Ryan: After seeing the mess that was Drillbit Taylor I was slightly concerned that Apatow and Co. were losing some of their luster. That was premature. Forgetting Sarah Marshall is on par with The 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up and Superbad. I would take that one step further and say that's it's the most complete of those above-mentioned movies. If one is a fan of one any of those films than one is going to like Forgetting Sarah Marshall. The movie continues the trend of Apatow films that are not only very funny but genuinely sincere.
Andy: Forgetting Sarah Marshall has been getting positive comparisons to last year's hit movies Superbad and Knocked Up. The comparisons are inevitable, not just because of the involvement of many of the same people (including producer Judd Apatow), but because of the niche it fills. American audiences has fallen back in love with the rated-R romantic comedy and this film fits that bill just as well as the other two.
Ryan: Forgetting Sarah Marshall is a coming out party for its three TV-star leads. Major props should be given to Jason Segal who not only stars in the movie but also co-wrote the screenplay. His performance is atypical (with his over-sensitivity and self-absorption) of a rom-com leading man but he delivers. Both Bell and Kunis could have just been pretty faces in this movie but in a few key scenes they more than demonstrated that they have the skills to take their talent to the silver screen.
Andy: It's nice to see Segal, who's been only a peripheral character in most of his performances, is able to play the lead in a movie. He's not full-time leading man material, but he fits pretty well in this type of comedy. His slightly embarrassing everyman status makes him easy to root for, and he was able to write to his strengths as an actor with the script. He takes a plot that seems like it's going nowhere and crafts a pretty good movie out of it.
Ryan: Further enhancing the film is the supporting cast of characters. Every time the movie started to slow one of the supporting cast members would show up to liven up the film. Whether it's the always enjoyable Paul Rudd or Superbad's Hill and Hader, the movie is littered with funny moments and one-liners by these characters.
Normally this is the part of the review where I would lament on the film's shortcomings but I don't believe the film has any noteworthy weaknesses. I would only qualify that the movie with it's contemporary vulgarity (and it is rated R for a reason) might not be for every casual moviegoer. Ultimately Forgetting Sarah Marshall is the highlight of the spring. Final grade: A-.
Andy: This movie is definitely not without flaws, but a missed joke here and there and a story that isn't as tight as it could be is not enough to overshadow the fact that the movie is very entertaining, and has several laugh out loud moments.
Forgetting Sarah Marshall is not the best comedy you'll see this year, but it's a great diversion while we're waiting for the summer movie onslaught. Final grade: B.
3 comments:
I loved Forgetting Sarah Marshall, but this is pretty hilarious:
http://www.cracked.com/blog/2008/04/21/how-to-make-your-own-judd-apatow-movie/
You totally forced a split review here!
It was a little forced but it was evident (from what was written) that I liked the film a little more than Andy.
So that was my thinking.
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