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Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)

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137 comments in total

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125 out of 168 people found the following comment useful :-
Surprise Solid Comedy, 19 March 2008

Author: unscripted1 from Chicago, IL

I often go see advance screenings in my area, especially now that I must officially be on "the list" as I am constantly finding tickets in my work inbox. This was the second Apatow production I've seen in advance and just like "Superbad", this did not disappoint. At the same time, while many of the cast members may be recognizable, there seems to be something different about this installment than I've seen in the likes of "40 Year Old Virgin", "Superbad", or "Knocked Up".

For starters, there was a definite presence of the "TV actors on the big screen" theme here, but I am pleased to report that Jason Segel, Kristen Bell, and Mila Kunis take to movies like naturals. Like many Apatow productions, Segel penned the script and takes over as lead Peter Bretter, proving yet again that with this crew the writer is best suited for the leading role. Segel delivers a character we all know too well from our own personal experiences and never breaks role from the shocking beginning to appropriate ending. I even give Segel extra credit for not completely victimizing his character and pointing out apparent flaws on both ends of the ending relationship.

Kristen Bell plays Sarah Marshall, the iconic ex of the film, but her role sits on the back burner along with the truly hilarious Aldous Snow (Russell Brand) to make way for a leading role in Mila Kunis. From the beginning it is clear that her not-too-smart and shallow role of "That 70s Show" didn't follow her to "Forgetting"'s script. Kunis plays Racheal, a hospitality girl for the hotel that "Forgetting" takes place, and subsequently deals with Peter as he tries to get over Sarah Marshall. Her character is intelligent, charismatic, and appreciative of the good in people, a strong juxtaposition to the seemingly selfish starlet Sarah Marshall. Kunis owns the role with pride, even slipping in gestures and glances that didn't seem to initially be in the script. Hopefully this will open her up for more serious roles than "American Psycho 2" and the typecasting that often happens with TV actresses like her.

The star of the film, in my opinion, easily has to be Russell Brand, who plays the over-conscious over-sexed rock star Aldous Snow. Snow adds the necessary level of comedy that could have been missing from what is truly a tragic plot. About halfway in the film, I couldn't help but snicker to myself just with the presence that Brand creates (complete with perfect costume choices). The only downfall to a character who is truly the Mercutio of this tragedy is that Brand clearly overshadows Bell's performance as Sarah Marshall, who is ironically the most forgettable character of the film.

The writing flows with well-timed jokes, apathetic digs, and shocking vulgar humor. There is even a few moments where you feel Segel was digging on the cast with jokes involving crime dramas (Segel did time on "CSI") and TV actresses in horrible horror movies (Kunis did the atrocious "American Psycho 2"); not sure if it was intentional, but I caught what I thought was a reference. Just as with most Apatow productions, leave the kids at home. Unlike the rest, however, the crude humor doesn't overflow and turn off most audiences (like I noticed with "Superbad"). It also doesn't get very heavy in the least (which is what I felt hurt "Knocked Up"). I think Apatow has found a great balance with this production and Segel's script. I also want to give credit to Nicholas Stoller , who proved that he can be successful as a director after the hit he took from helping write "Fun with Dick and Jane".

All in all, this comedy is just another example of a good time for adults. It keeps a consistently flowing script, unlike many recent comedies that seem to lose pace as they close the story. While crude, the jokes are just light enough to appease most adult audiences and the short 100 minute run time will ensure you won't be glancing at your watch waiting for it to end, just laughing hysterically.

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80 out of 129 people found the following comment useful :-
Apatow's Crew Sets the Comedy Bar for Hollywood, 27 March 2008

Author: roset3678 from United States

I'm going to be honest, walking into the advanced screening tonight I was expecting an overly chick flicky somewhat dull comedy. What I got instead was a pretty hilarious movie with just the right amount of romance and a whole lot of vulgar comedy also. I can honestly say this is the funniest movie of 2008 so far. The entire Judd Apatow crew has overall had about 4 or five great comedies in the last 3 years, putting them up with all the other great comedy film makers since 2005. This movie makes me feel like I can now trust any movie they make most the time. When this movie hits theatres in April, GO SEE IT. I promise you won't find a funnier movie out any time soon.

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82 out of 134 people found the following comment useful :-
Same Apatow clan, slightly different take., 7 February 2008

Author: Cognition from United States

This film was shown at my university tonight and Stoller was there for a Q&A after the screening. The film was the typical Apatow romp that we have seen as of late (Superbad, Knocked up, etc.). There was the usual crude and creative humor as well inappropriate sexuality to make another great Apatow team production. People should not come in with the expectation that this is another romantic comedy reincarnation of "Knocked Up". This is more of a typical and organic romantic comedy. The heavy emotional weight and issues in "Knocked up" are not present in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall". The casting and comedic pacing was done very well and though it may not be a cinematic heavy hitter, it was very good for a directing debut and it was what movies all strive to be, entertaining.

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75 out of 127 people found the following comment useful :-
You Won't Soon Forget It!, 21 February 2008

Author: bwymle from United States

I know, I went for the obvious.

I was lucky enough to see an early screening of "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" a few days ago and I am more than happy to start spreading some buzz for this film. It was consistently funny and highly quotable with a strong cast and well developed characters. I have been continually impressed with the multi-talented young actors under Judd Apatow's wing and Jason Segel--who, I'll admit has been one of my favorites since "Freaks and Geeks"--does not disappoint.

There are many familiar faces here from other Apatow projects, but for good reason. Paul Rudd, whom I love equally in comedy and drama (true fans must view "The Shape of Things" but be prepared to be uncomfortable), Bill Hadar, and Jonah Hill hit just the right notes in their supporting roles. There's Russell Brand--whom I was unfamiliar with but apparently evokes strong feelings one way or the other across the pond--is hysterical and delivered some of my favorite lines. Kristen Bell and Mila Kunis are sympathetic straight women to the goofy men around them. It was particularly nice to Mila Kunis outside of the 70's Show/Family Guy worlds. And, last, but certainly not least, there's 30 Rock's Jack McBrayer playing an equally lovable and funny newlywed version of Kenneth.

Though I did feel that the film ran a little long, it never once dragged. There were also a few shots that I am sure will not be available until the unrated DVD hits stores because though they are truly hilarious, they are essentially the only thing keeping the film from a PG-13 rating.

Finally, I will say, that those who liked Knocked Up, Superbad, and 40 Year-Old Virgin, will certainly enjoy this movie. I, personally, would rank it above the other three and will enjoy debating my friends about that come April.

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56 out of 92 people found the following comment useful :-
Fun Movie!, 11 April 2008

Author: orrell-3 from Los Angeles, California

I'm not a big fan of Judd Apatow and his recent crop of movies.

That said, I got to see "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" April 11 at a preview screening with some friends, and I was impressed. It's a joke movie, but it has a story that pulls you along, and the jokes are outrageously funny. I nearly died laughing. It doesn't try to push the envelope of "How immature and disgusting can we be?", which was what I have come to expect from these sorts of movies. It's just funny actors doing a great job of telling a good story that most adults will relate to in some way. It's honest fun, and I wish there were more comedies like this coming out.

All my friends enjoyed the film, too (aged 20-27). It's a good date movie, though certainly NOT one for the kids or younger teenagers.

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9 out of 16 people found the following comment useful :-
I hope you enjoy bad comedies!, 9 May 2008

Author: brittisnow from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

CONTAINS SPOILERS! Forgetting Sarah Marshall is about a high profile female celebrity dumping her obnoxious b**** tits of a boyfriend and his getting over her. He goes on a vacation after he is broken up with at a resort he knows she goes to. Oddly enough, they meet up there and she has a new fling.

This movie is advertised as a comedy but it tries too hard to draw out emotion at the most obvious parts, and quite often for too long. The humor is juvenile and crude but not in the enjoyable way. For example when the ex sees him at the resort and she asks him what he is doing there, his response is that he is there to murder her and she thinks he is so funny. The humor is nothing new and the story telling is absolutely sub par and quite impossible. The new boyfriend tries to hard to be funny when he is dancing in the movie and I do *NOT* want to see the lead actors weiner about five times.

Mila Kunis (Jackie Burkhart) from that 70's show makes an appearance and does quite a good job and was the only reason I stayed to watch the movie. At one point you even think you get to see her tits but if you read up on it you find out that she had a body double. Great, the only saving point of the movie is a fraud.

All in all after you think the movie is finally going to end there is yet another plot twist and as mentioned earlier, it goes on for far too long. This is the second movie I have walked out on (the first being PeeWees BigTop)and what really did it for me was the white trash and frat boy humor, the constant crying, and that the movie kept trying to make me care about characters I kinda hated.

Avoid this one. Seriously.

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3 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
Cookie-Cutter Comedy, 13 July 2008

Author: gusmaoramirez from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Movies about a guy and his ex booking hotel rooms next to each other go all the way back to the screwball comedies of the 1930's. It's such an outdated premise today that it mostly shows up on sitcoms, as it did on an old episode of "Frasier." The half-hour format is probably the best place for it. When you have such a hackneyed justification for your movie, the material had better be stellar but the writer here is obviously in over his or her head.

You might describe the movie as sitcom-ish, but the jokes are often funnier on some of these sitcoms. This should not be the case. TV writers are up against deadlines. A screenwriter has ample time to work on his or her script before showing it to anyone and turning it into a movie.

One of the "big" gag scenes in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" is a moaning contest between two couples having sex on opposite sides of a wall in adjacent hotel rooms. This is a microcosm for the rest of the movie. You can see the joke coming a mile away because it's been done a million times before, including on the episode of "Frasier."

The only difference is that the joke was actually funny on "Frasier."

Instead of two couples, it was just Frasier alone in his room trying to make his ex jealous by banging his headboard against the wall and making orgasmic noises. The twist was that the room next door was actually empty and his ex and her new beau walk by the sliding-glass doors of his room and catch him in the act.

The joke was clever and contained more irony than the same joke in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall." It also showed Frasier in a self-deprecating light and makes a pompous character that could easily become grating in unskilled hands even more likable. This is an example of how to construct a good joke.

And this is how you construct jokes without any of the real irony or truth that make something funny...

FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL

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9 out of 17 people found the following comment useful :-
This movie was pretty lame, 26 May 2008

Author: gant-6 from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

I have no idea how this has a 7.9 on IMDb. It was long, predictable, contrived and it didn't even try to get you to believe it. The movie could have been about 30 minutes less. Peter was never believable and was never actually able to make me feel any compassion for him or believe in his character.

It seemed like they were on the vacation for 6 months. The waiter (played by the fat kid from Superbad) as well as many of the other supporting cast members played roles that were ultimately pointless, therefore useless.

This movie never really knew what it wanted to be and left me bored and disliking the characters more and more. It went for cheap laughs and fell flat over and over again. No character stood out over any of the others.

I would definitely NOT recommend seeing this movie, even if you download it and watch it for free. It will be 112 minutes you'll never get back but certainly wish you could.

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15 out of 30 people found the following comment useful :-
"It's a metaphor for crap" spoken by Aldous Snow..., 25 April 2008

Author: cyclebuys from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

the character dating Sarah Marshall after she's dumped Peter (Jason Segel) when he describes her latest movie-within-the-movie about a murderous cell phone attacking pubescent women. The description also describes sitting through this film which is being hailed as the first male romantic comedy. It's a step in unchartered terrain, sure enough when it comes to the clichés that abound in this dreadful film: minorities are delegated to working behind the bar tending or being your waiter at the morning buffet service or to getting humped by the lead in an improbable scene early on. Improbable is the main ingredient in this dud. Peter gets dumped AND winds up in Hawaii at the same expensive resort as Sarah Marshall (the dumper), AND he stays in a $6000/a night suite FOR FREE! I-M-P-R-O-B-A-B-L-E!

There's more... the front desk girl falls in love w/ our Peter and is able to walk away from her job to go on IMPROBABLE hikes and what-not just because the script is written that way. This film is an example of how the industry has become less about "talent" and all about who you know... in this case Segel knows Aptow and hence... a dreadful film. It took an hour and a half for a genuine scene to come on the screen. When Sarah explains to Peter why she dumped him it really rang true, but then we're back to more of the same dreck from the first hour and a half. If you go see this go for the performance of the actor playing Aldous Snow who is brilliant in every scene... playing chess on the beach or having wine spilled on his dinner shirt... funny, but that's it.

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15 out of 30 people found the following comment useful :-
Hey, why? Eh!, 25 April 2008

Author: Cinema_Fan from An English Shire.

Forgiving, for a moment, that this is Mr. Nicholas Stoller's first attempt at directing, we can say, with all honesty, that this attempt is also as easily forgettable. With Jason Segel who on par with Vince Vaughn as to total charisma by-pass, this laid out road map of a movie is at least amusing to the extremes of bewilderment as to ask what was the point? Set in the lush location of Hawaii, this beautiful island is more looking like the flotsam and jetsam of bad scripts, limited efforts' and a weak plot to the point of sheer tedium.

There is a level of predictability in, certain, movies that when having crossed a certain level, usually the lowest, then turns any movie into outright worthlessness, Forgetting Sarah Marshall falls snugly into this description, too. Predictability, here, is the name of the game, added with the dull, and more than often, painful dialogue, this all to obvious direction throughout is seen as lazy or just plain unimaginative.

With little attempt to convey any higher ground of thought to the narrative, this stance leaves nothing but an open road with no turns, twists, slip roads and bends to excite and planning this journey can be so easily done with ones eyes closed, such is the obvious horizons' that this film projects.

Then, apart from the shady editing, being choppy at best, in other places very poor, in particular during the conversation between Aldous Snow and Matthew the Waiter and the demo disc. There is too the gags; simple, cold and listless, with comedy it needs a character, a character with persona, wit and timing, this lifeless, dull and time wasting exercise deals no punches and only solidifies itself in a similar vain to a petrified forest. The only redeeming artifice here is the wit of one Russell Brand, who seems to have the best lines here too, and with this self loving man of free love, and too, the newly-weds of desperation, is the films only real redemption. It really is a pity that this characterisation was not carried off to other members of the cast, otherwise, this may have faired well in the road to recovery, instead it is well worth remembering that it only takes a slight wrong turn and very quickly ends up looking like road kill.

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