For those who have had their hearts ripped out and stomped on, don’t worry, Peter Bretter knows exactly how it feels.
In “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” the new installment from Judd Apatow, John Segel plays Peter, a composer, who provides backup music and sound effects for a ludicrous over the top forensic drama, “Crime Scene,” that resembles CSI with William Baldwin offering nonsense one-liners.
The star of “Crime Scene,” Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell) is Peter’s famous girlfriend who dumps him for a trendy rock star, in one of the most memorable moments in the film.
Left devastated and wallowing in self-pity, Peter follows his stepbrother’s (Bill Hader) advice and decides to take a vacation to clear his mind and mend his heart.
Peter packs his bags and heads to a resort in Hawaii where, as luck would have it, Sarah and her new man Aldous Snow (Russell Brand) are vacationing as well. Despite Snow’s self-absorbed exterior and the fact that he is “the other man,” he is far from being a villain. He befriends Peter and tries to comfort him through the breakup.
As Peter continues his attempt to forget Sarah Marshall he falls for the hotel receptionist named Rachel (Mila Kunis from “That 70’s Show”). She is charming and adventurous and just what Peter needs.
Segel, who also wrote the film, is hilarious as Peter. He provides the charm that has the audience rooting for the dork from the start. His acting comes natural and at times it is the small things he does that have the audience laughing-such as his puppy-eyed glaze when he attempts to keep Sarah from leaving.
People should be warned that full-frontal nudity is prominent and they will get to see more of Segel than they bargained for.
At times the film relies to heavily on raunchy comedy, from the full-frontal nudity to a scene where Brand’s character attempts to teach a newlywed the way to win his wife over in the bedroom. This form of comedy gets stale fast, but despite this minor flaw “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” is a film that offers a lot of heart and laughs.
The film provides a glimpse into the world of a heart-broken man. Too often films focus on the woman going through a break-up and her devastation. It is refreshing to see that men with broken hearts are no different-they cry and wail too.
The cast is full of Apatow film veterans. Jonah Hill plays a star-crazed hotel employee who finds any opportunity to get close to Snow. Paul Rudd plays a stoned-out surfing instructor who says surfing is more about doing less than doing anything at all.
The final scene is memorable and will have people humming a catchy little tune for days. It is that scene that lets everyone know, anything is possible if you dream big.
“Forgetting Sarah Marshall” is definitely worthy of being in the same category as Apatow’s other films. Like the rest, it allows laughter into situations that are sometimes taken too serious.
