Popcorn, Soda, and Goobers - Movie and DVD Reviews and Film Commentary

Forgetting Sarah Marshall (imdb | get tickets)

Apatow Productions release another hit comedy, this time starring TV stars Jason Segel and Kristen Bell. Segel, who also wrote this film, stars as Peter, the just-dumped, ex-boyfriend of TV star Sarah Marshall. Peter is devastated by Sarah’s actions and in order to get over her, he takes a trip to Hawaii - coincidentally staying at the same resort as Sarah and her new beau.

This film is funny, there’s no doubt about it. It contains the quip dialogue that one would expect from Apatow talent, and it also has the body of a romantic comedy which grounds the crude humor to some pseudo-realistic emotion. Some noteable comedic moments come from the jealousy that sprouts from Sarah as Peter begins to get over her. I also enjoyed seeing the short clips from Sarah’s TV show “Crime Scene” where William Baldwin would drop some extremely silly lines. Seeing Jonah Hill and Paul Rudd is always a good sign (though I found their characters to be a little less funny than usual), and some of the other hotel employees are quite hilarious.

Despite the almost perfect blend of crude humor and real life sympathies, I never found Forgetting Sarah Marshall to be as funny as Apatow’s own Knocked Up. This is probably personal preference, but I found Sarah Marshall to lack the quotable jokes and memorable scenes that I had upon exiting Knocked Up or 40 Year Old Virgin. While I enjoyed the film, I still didn’t find it to be the perfect romantic comedy.

Don’t get me wrong, Forgetting Sarah Marshall is all gold, and I’m probably going to see it again at some point. Maybe my opinion will likely change upon a second viewing, but as it stands now, I found previous Apatow productions to be funnier and more enjoyable than Sarah Marshall.

3.5-4 ominous tones out of 5

Forgetting Sarah Marshall premiers in theaters nationwide April 18, 2008. Get your ticket now.