Reviews of Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Forgetting Sarah Marshall review

Posted : 5 days, 18 hours ago on 15 August 2008 06:55 (A review of Forgetting Sarah Marshall)

I probably could have gone my whole life without seeing Segal's junk. Yes, it was gratuitous, but on some level still funny because it was so awkward and uncomfortable.

As a whole, I'm honestly not sure what to think of the movie. It was the standard raunch, sex and nude fest that is an Apatow movie. So, if you're a fan, there's definitely some laugh out loud and cringe-worthy moments. But did I give a crap about any of the characters? Not really.

I will say this: Segal was great. I've always liked him, so it's no surprise he puts in another great performance as a heartbroken man oozing pathos. As for Kunis, I'm not usually a fan of hers, but I actually liked her in this movie. This was the first time she didn't play someone who was an idiot or entirely too obnoxious. It was a nice surprise.

I think this is sort of one of those movies you have to let sink in... because while I didn't particularly think much of it after watching, a few hours later and sudenly I'm recalling some scenes and thinking maybe the movie wasn't so bad after all.

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Typical Judd Apatow.

Posted : 3 months, 1 week ago on 9 May 2008 07:35 (A review of Forgetting Sarah Marshall)

"When life gives you lemons just say 'fuck the lemons,' and bail."

Judd Apatow's company have been popular and successful in recent years. Face it: now the man is going to be known as the God of contemporary adult sex comedies. Personally I think the first few films he made were of a higher standard than his more recent work (I was slightly disappointed with Knocked Up and Superbad). Thankfully by altering the typical formula, Forgetting Sarah Marshall is one of the funniest movies of 2008.

Peter Bretter (Segel) is an unsuccessful musician who does music for a TV show called Crime Scene. The main star of Crime Scene is his girlfriend Sarah Marshall (Bell) with whom he has been together with for over 5 years. But the relationship between Sarah and Peter slowly disintegrates, resulting in them splitting up. At first Peter is significantly disheartened about living life without Sarah as his partner. After an unsuccessful burst of womanising and one-night stands he comes to the realisation that he love life is now ruined because of his heart-breaking split with Sarah. Peter's brother Brian (Hader) suggests that Peter takes a vacation to take his mind off everything. Predictably, when Peter takes himself over to Hawaii for a vacation he is confronted by his worst nightmare: his former girlfriend Sarah staying in the same hotel with her new British rock-star boyfriend Aldous (Brand).

Because of the talent involved you can guarantee that Forgetting Sarah Marshall will deliver the laughs. I hadn't seen the trailer before watching the movie so a majority of the laughs were fresh for me. Maybe if you've seen the trailer too many times the whole film won't be as great.

The movie has a surprisingly high film value in addition to just an entertainment value. Instead of just focusing on the laughs the filmmakers also focused on drama. I have seen many comedies that try to hard to create hilarious situations for the actors. In this case there was focus on this and creating something more than just your average sex comedy.

Jason Segel not only starred in the lead role but he also wrote the screenplay. This is a bonus because the screenwriter can create the character on screen that he imagined while putting the film on paper. His performance encapsulates everything a guy feels after a serious relationship is terminated. This is far from Oscar material but at times his emotions were very palpable and naturalistic. Of course, maintaining the tone of the film there is a lot of overzealous crying as well. There are a number of Judd Apatow regulars that appear in the film's cast. Most notably is Jonah Hill who has been a favourite with Apatow in recent productions. And then of course recognition has to go to Kristen Bell for being a very realistic Sarah Marshall. Like all the cast members, this isn't Oscar material; just a bit of overacting and hilarious mannerisms to guarantee a bunch of laughs.

The director Nicholas Stoller is able to keep the laughs constant without an awkward abundance of them. Particular credit must go to director Stoller for staging many of the scenes in very creative ways. I'm sure it would have been difficult filming when the action moves out to the water at times.

I thought one of the film's only real downfalls is that the film is slightly formulaic and clichéd. That being said, the film manages to stay away from about 75% of the typical clichés found in this genre. Beware that there is plenty of profanity and lots of sex scenes. This includes graphic moaning, full frontal nudity (of a guy) and graphic discussions of a sexual nature. You know this is definitely a movie from producer Judd Apatow.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall is everything we've come to expect from a modern adult sex comedy. Within the film you'll find a large assortment of memorable quotes and raunchy gags. If you enjoy other Apatow films like The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up you will have a blast watching this one.

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Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Posted : 3 months, 3 weeks ago on 26 April 2008 10:31 (A review of Forgetting Sarah Marshall)

Forgetting Sarah Marshall has proven to be one of the funniest movies that I have seen, and will surely not be forgotten. Judd Apatow has succeeded yet again with his new comedy which is very much a romance/disaster movie.

Jason Segel is Peter Bretter, who within the first couple of minutes of this film has been dumped by his girlfriend, Sarah Marshall. The two work together on a TV show, 'Crime Scene'. Sarah being the lead star of the series, with her boyfriend Peter being responsible for the dodgy sound effects on the show. This has always left Peter out of the spotlight, with Sarah being known everywhere as the star of the show. So when Sarah comes home one day to find peter wearing nothing but a towel and reveals that she doesn't want to be with him anymore, you can imagine that Peter doesn't find this very good news. In-fact, he drops his towel and sits confused and paranoid thinking about life without Sarah Marshall.

So Peter, left broken hearted, seeks out advice from his brother, Brian. To Brian it seems that the best thing for Peter to do is go away on a holiday and escape everything that is reminding Peter or Sarah Marshall. But who does Peter find there at the Hawaiian resort, none other than the very person that he had been trying to escape, Sarah Marshall.

As you can imagine, every situation in this is turned comical. Whether it be laughing for the circumstances of what is happening to Peter, or at the uproarious themes and references from other characters, Forgetting Sarah Marshall is a film that can guarantee you laughs.

As well as being a Judd Apatow picture, director Nicholas Stoller also contributes hugely to this film's success. But mostly the credit goes to the multi-talented Jason Segel. Not only did he have the lead role in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, but he also wrote the script which is the basis of this film's entertainment. He is a true star and I admire what he has put into this film, a great comedian and incredible actor. Kristen Bell as Sarah Marshall also gave an exceptional performance, giving the viewer a clear view of her character and feelings towards Sarah Marshall. Mila Kunis and Russell Brand were also admirable with their performances, Russell Brand in particular providing many entertaining scenes. Bill Hader, Jonah Hill and Paul Rudd were also hilarious and largely contributed to this film even with their smaller roles.

Overall Forgetting Sarah Marshall is an intriguing and extremely entertaining flick somewhat similar to movies like Knocked Up or Good luck Chuck. If this sounds like your thing, then I strongly recommend that you see this for a laugh and some enjoyment.

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The trailers don't do this movie justice

Posted : 4 months ago on 16 April 2008 06:47 (A review of Forgetting Sarah Marshall)

I went to see this movie last night at the cinema and I was pleasantly surprised, as the subject says the trailers for this movie don't do it justice.

Overall a good funny movie, well worth seeing if you like this type of movie.

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