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The latest Apatow star to burn his name and identity into our collective consciousness is Jason Segel, and he wrote the screenplay for the movie that he stars in, "Forgetting Sarah Marshall." The movie follows Jason's character of Peter Bretter who is so in love with the title character of Sarah Marshall. Sarah is actually the big TV star of a show that is a cross between "CSI" and "Bones" (William Baldwin plays her constantly adlibbing partner). One day, Sarah confronts a naked (fully nude mind you) Peter to tell him that she is breaking up with him. She says she has found someone else, and she tries (and fails) to let Peter down gently. Quickly, Peter falls into a deep dark depression that just about everyone goes through when they are dumped, and not even his stepbrother Brian Better (the hilarious Bill Hader) can lift him out of it. So in the end, Peter heads off to Hawaii for a vacation to get away from his heartbreak and to take some time for himself. But since Hawaii is such a romantic getaway (and the land of never ending IZ music), it only makes his heart ache all the more, and he gets phone calls from the front desk saying that a lady is crying very loudly in his room. When Peter tries to hide his tears and say that it must be from a lady in the room above him, the desk clerk reminds him that he is on the top floor. But then there comes the big kicker; Sarah shows up at the same resort Peter's staying in with her new beau, Aldous Snow (Russell Brand), a rock star who is as dense as he is sexy (and many will say that he is very sexy). The movie becomes a series between Peter and Sarah as they try to get past one another, and try to put their heartbreak behind them. The plot of "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" is by no means original. We have seen this kind of story done before, but not with this much male full frontal nudity. The execution and writing of the film keep it from being another formulaic journey that we should be worn out with by now. For the most part, none of the characters' actions feel at all contrived. Their journey they all take, and how they change in the end feels very believable, and I didn't find myself questioning it at all. Like many of Apatow's films (both the ones he directs and the ones he produces), the characters are so refreshingly down to earth that we can see ourselves in them. I usually avoid romantic comedies like the plague because they usually come off as phenomenally stupid. It's usually a case of "you're sexy, I'm sexy, so let's f*ck and introduce ourselves to each other later." This is not the case here. All the characters come across as very likable, even the ones you think you're not supposed to like. Jason Segel doesn't make too much of a stretch here as an actor, as this is more or less the same type of character that he played in "Freaks & Geeks." But he is a very good actor all the same and makes his character very likable even though we would probably get sick of him very quickly in real life. Peter spends a lot of time telling other people that he broke up with Sarah when he should probably just shut up about it. This was the way I was when I got back stabbed and kicked out of Disneyland. I couldn't shut up about it for years! But Jason does a great job of making his character transition from whiny baby to a more mature person moving past one of the most painful moments in his life. Kristen Bell plays Sarah Marshall in the film, and even though her character is a b*tch, she does come across as somewhat sympathetic. It feels rare that we get a character who is well known actress who acknowledges how nervous she is about the jump from television to the big screen (and she's nearing 30 too). She worries that she'll have to show some bush on the big screen to make that jump, and this is in the same movie where Jason Segel bares all and shows us his "throbbing python of love" as Robin Williams would have described it. Her character also makes a transition from someone who appears to have it all together to someone who couldn't be more insecure and jealous if she tried. The other great presence in this movie is Mila Kunis who is now all grown up long after the end of "That 70's Show." She plays the hotel desk clerk Rachel Jansen who befriends Peter in his utterly pitiful state, and ends up developing a strong relationship with him. She perfectly portrays the down to earth woman many of us hope to meet in our lifetime. Rachel too is going through growing pains and fears that she knows she needs to get past. Through Peter, she kinds a kindred spirit whom she can relate and in which she can see part of herself. Together, they challenge each other to get past the hurts and disappointments in their lives. I also loved Russell Brand's performance as Aldous Snow, the dim witted rocker who ends up stealing Sarah Marshall from Peter. Usually, this kind of character is portrayed as such a hateful son of a b*tch, but in some ways, Aldous comes across as kind of a cool person. It never occurs to him that inviting Peter to dinner and Sarah would be so awkward, and he never wants Peter to feel uncomfortable around him. Some guys would boast about someone else's girlfriend, but no Aldous, the recovering alcohol and drug addict lead singer of a rock band. Even though his character is as dense as they come, he also makes a transition when he realizes something about Sarah that she should have realized about herself a long time ago. The movie also features a number of Judd Apatow regulars who never fail to disappoint. "Saturday Night Live's" Bill Hader is hilarious as always as Peter's brother-in-law Brian who keeps giving advice Peter never follows in time. "Superbad's" Jonah Hill plays a waiter at a Hawaiian restaurant who is more helpful to all guests to a fault. "30 Rock's" Jack McBrayer plays a newlywed who spends the movie trying to make love to his wife the right way. And then there's the always dependable Paul Rudd who steals just about every movie he is in these days. Paul plays Chuck, a surfing instructor who is never quite clear in his lessons. These days, Paul Rudd in a movie is comic nirvana. "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" is not quite as funny as last year's "Knocked Up" or "Superbad," but it sure does come close enough. While it is another hit and miss comedy, the stuff that does hit is funnier than anything else I have seen so far this year. Jason Segel is a fine actor and writer as this movie proves, and the comedy juggernaut that is Judd Apatow Productions continues making some of the best comedies of today. While a backlash may be in effect, Judd is behind some of the best comedies being made today. email this review to a friend
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