Seen on: April 18, 2008

The players: Director: Nicholas Stoller, Writer: Jason Segel, Cast: Jason Segel, Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis, Russell Brand, Bill Hader

Facts of interest: Produced by Judd Apatow.

The plot: After the break-up with his girlfriend Sarah Marshall (Bell), Peter (Segel) travels to Hawaii to take a break. Much to his dismay, however, Sarah picks the same destination for some private time with her new boyfriend.

Our thoughts: Trust me, you won’t forget Sarah Marshall. Fresh out of the Judd Apatow camp, this wonderful romantic comedy follows the brilliance and panache of “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” and “Knocked Up,” combining serious romance with a bit of raunchy comedy. Although Apatow produced “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” for once he’s not the star of the show. The real hero of the movie is newcomer Jason Segel, who wrote the marvelous script and delivers a deliciously funny performance as the lead character.

Segel stars as Peter Bretter, a sluggish composer for a popular TV series who spends most of his time indoors watching “Access Hollywood” and eating huge bowls of cereal. Everything is going fine for Peter, until his girlfriend Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell), a prominent TV actress, shows up at his door to break up with him. A couple of one-night stands and a gazillion tears later, a devastated Peter is on his way to Hawaii to start over. As fate would have it, however, Sarah picked the same exact location to spend a lovely vacation with her new lover, notorious singer Aldous Snow (Russell Brand).

Big laughs are abundant in “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” but so are the many true-to-life issues revolving around the complexities of romantic relationships. Comedic aspect put aside, Segel’s story examines how tough it is forget somebody you love. The film spends considerable time analyzing the consequences of a break-up, including all the accompanying suffering, regrets and the struggle to let go of the pain. The great thing about this is we don’t only get to sympathize with Peter. Sure, Sarah dumped him for another man, but thanks to Segel’s ingenious screenwriting, we also get to examine the whole situation from her point of view.

Segel created truly sophisticated and captivating characters, each struggling with their own inner conflicts. Each of those characters also seems incredibly realistic, giving audiences numerous opportunities to identify with them. At first, for instance, you would clearly hate Sarah for what she has done, but as it turns out, she’s really not a bad person. Peter and her openly discuss what went wrong in their relationship, and they agree they both made mistakes. Sincere, real-life conversations like these are missing too often in today’s romantic comedies.

Of course, as we all know from previous Apatow productions, the film also features a large dose of raunchiness, which is presented via a bunch of sexually loaded jokes and recurring nudity. Girls beware; I can guarantee you will see Segel’s penis more than once. But again, all of these silly jokes provoke laughs rather than disgust, which prove the filmmakers’ ability to combine subtle comedy with a touch of risqué content.

Segel has all it takes to become the next superstar. Much like Seth Rogen in “Knocked Up,” he carries the film on his shoulders and is the main source of all things funny. His performance is eccentric but quite lifelike, and I can’t imagine one cinemagoer hating him. Kristen Bell (“Veronica Mars”) plays Sarah Marshall, and she delivers an awesome performance as the famous TV actress who stars opposite William Baldwin in a show called “Crime Scene.”

You’ll also be delighted by the return of Mila Kunis (“That ‘70s Show”), who stars as Peter’s beautiful love interest. Russell Brand jumps into the role of Sarah’s news boyfriend Aldous, and he’s just ridiculously hilarious, babbling his way through the entire movie. Of course, some of the Apatow regulars also make an appearance. Jonah Hill stars as a restaurant host trying to promote his band, and Bill Hader plays Peter’s best friend Brian. Too bad Seth Rogen doesn’t show up for a cameo. 

Freaky quote: "Came here to murder you.” – Jason Segel

The final word: “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” is at times a little predictable, yes, and the film ends like most romantic comedies, yes, but everything leading up to the showdown is a pure pleasure. I counted several scenes deserving immediate cult status (including a musical performance by Segel), and I can only hope the film will find its audience. Great one-liners and a sincere story make “Sarah Marshall” an unforgettable experience.