Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Nicholas Stoller

Writer (WGA):

Jason Segel (written by)

Release Date:

18 April 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

From the guys who brought you "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" and "Knocked Up"

Plot:

Devastated Peter takes a Hawaii vacation in order to deal with recent break-up with his TV star girlfriend, Sarah. Little does he know Sarah's traveling to the same resort as her ex ... and she's bringing along her new boyfriend.

Plot Keywords:

Hawaii | Resort | Musician | Clerk | Hotel

Awards:

1 win & 9 nominations

Cast

Jason Segel	...	Peter Bretter
Kristen Bell	...	Sarah Marshall
Mila Kunis	...	Rachel Jansen
Russell Brand	...	Aldous Snow
Bill Hader	...	Brian Bretter
Liz Cackowski	...	Liz Bretter
Maria Thayer	...	Wyoma
Jack McBrayer	...	Darald
Taylor Wily	...	Kimo
Davon McDonald	...	Dwayne the Bartender (as Da'Vone McDonald)
Steve Landesberg	...	Dr. Rosenbaum
Jonah Hill	...	Matthew the Waiter
Paul Rudd	...	Chuck
Kala Alexander	...	Greg
Kalani Robb	...	Helpful Hawaiian Waiter

MPAA:

Rated R for sexual content, language and some graphic nudity.

Runtime:

111 min | 118 min (unrated version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Hawaiian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS | SDDS

Certification:

UK:15 | Singapore:M18 | Australia:MA | Ireland:15A | USA:R (certificate #44109) | Norway:11 | Finland:K-15 | Portugal:M/12 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Japan:R-18 | South Korea:18 | Sweden:Btl | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:18A (Manitoba) | Canada:18A (Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta) | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:R16 | Malaysia:18PL (cut) | Argentina:16 | Peru:14 | Iceland:12 | Germany:12 | Brazil:16

Filming Locations:

Honolulu, O'ahu, Hawaii, USA

Company:

Apatow Productions

Trivia:

Screenwriter and star Jason Segel told New York Times interviewer Dave Itzkoff that both the naked breakup and Dracula puppet musical scenes were drawn from his real life experiences. In the article, Segel admitted that he really did once have a girlfriend who broke up with him while he was completely naked (although rather than being devastated during it, he thought to himself, "This is hilarious. I cannot wait for her to leave so I can write this down.") And before he was a successful actor, Segel tried to write a musical adaptation of "Dracula" for puppets.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Peter is told he has to leave the first hotel room because Dakota Fanning needs it, he is laying in bed, and the blankets that cover him up switch from off to on to off again.

Quotes:

Sarah Marshall: I need you to get hard, Pete.
Peter Bretter: I know what I'm supposed to do.

Movie Connections:

References Charlie Wilson's War (2007)

Soundtrack:

Nothing Compares 2 U

And you thought *you* were sensitive...

An amusing and sometimes awkward breakup film, this pic was written by and stars a long-time Apatow cohort, Jason Segel. The pic centers on lost, hypersensitive slacker Peter, who after being broken up with by his TV star girlfriend copes with its end poorly, eventually escaping to Hawaii where he subsequently books himself into a hotel that she is coincidentally staying at.

Immediate warning to those sensitive to full frontal male nudity: it is present and more than once. That out of the way, the pic was pretty affable, containing more than a handful of good laughs as well as more than a lot of generally comically captured sex scenes. Many of the secondary characters also play enjoyably silly roles. And there is a funny musical component to the pic that also includes an amusing rendition of puppet-related works.

I suppose I do have to level a little criticism for the theme being a little slight, but there still is something to be said for healing of personal wounds and learning to "move on". Those that have seen other Apatow relationship pics will probably see a number of similarities (slacker dude learns to grow up, gross out comedy, etc), even though Apatow didn't write or direct this piece. The film is also a bit on the long side, like many comedies that come from the Apatow crew and you do notice it. Some judicious trimming and relegating of some scenes (including numerous flashbacks) to DVD extras would've been helpful.

Finally, I wish that more character could be drawn from both Sarah Marshall and Peter's newfound love interest, hotel employee Rachel as they played fairly two-dimensional, but I'm glad that Sarah didn't end up a one-note character as well. I didn't love the conclusion of the breakup story arc because I felt that it was a bit of a cop-out, but it didn't ruin the film. Lastly, Peter was written a little on the edge of believability in terms of being oversensitive, so you really have to buy his character, otherwise the film will break on you.

Essentially, this is a congenial, enjoyable, but rude/crude film with a share of laughs and more Jason Segel than you probably ever wanted to see. Recommended for those who like some story with their laughs and can handle the vulgar, sexual, and nude content. 8/10.