Forgetting Sarah Marshall definitely is not something you want to take your kids to see. That’s why I was puzzled when I heard a small child talking during a recent screening of the film, which opens Friday.
If you’ve ever seen a Judd Apatow movie, you’ll understand why his movies are not suitable for kids. He has a fondness for pushing the boundaries of sex-related humor, and Forgetting Sarah Marshall just about pushes those boundaries to the brink.
Last winter’s Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (which failed to bring in a substantial audience) had one shot of full-frontal male nudity. Forgetting Sarah Marshall not only has more than one (I think about five, but who’s counting?), but the first comes within the movie’s opening five minutes. Aside from the shock value, male frontal nudity is not funny and I didn’t see why it was featured in excess.
Forgiving those uncomfortable moments, I am pleased to say Forgetting Sarah Marshall is quite enjoyable, especially after seeing the lackluster Drillbit Taylor last month.
In that (eye) opening scene of this week’s film, Peter Bretter (Jason Segal) exits the shower to find his girlfriend Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell) has returned from out-of-town and wants to break up. Peter is completely broken up by this news, unable to cope with the thought of life without Sarah.
After some feeble attempts to get over her (including multiple disastrous one-night stands), Peter takes the suggestion of a friend who thinks a relaxing vacation could help. Peter decides Hawaii would be nice, and what do you know? — Sarah and her new beau, a British rock star named Aldous Snow (Russell Brand), thought the same thing. Not only are they on the same island with Peter, they’re in the same hotel. Only in the movies do such random occurrences happen so frequently.
In Hawaii, Peter bonds with Rachel (Mila Kunis), a pretty girl at the front desk of the hotel. As Peter and Rachel grow closer, Sarah begins to wonder if she made the right decision in dumping Peter.
Even though Apatow only produced Forgetting Sarah Marshall — Nicholas Stoller directed and Segal wrote and starred — it still has many of the attributes as the movies he has written and directed. For example, the supporting characters are responsible for just as many laughs as the main ones. There’s a newlywed couple at the resort who experience some problems in the bedroom. Paul Rudd (a fixture in Apatow movies) plays a stoner surfer dude. Jonah Hill plays a hotel employee with some "issues."
The story of coping with a breakup is sort of generic, but the quirks of the characters elevate the film to something memorable. Peter is a television music composer who dreams of penning and staging a Dracula musical with puppets. Sarah is the star of a television show a la "CSI" where she plays a "sexy crimefighter." Aldous is the crazy rock singer.
Although Forgetting Sarah Marshall falls under the romantic comedy genre, it is not the kind that women must drag their boyfriends/husbands kicking and screaming to see. It’s the kind where both males and females can find laughs and redeeming qualities — apart from the excessive and unnecessary nudity. •• Movie Grade: B+