Forgetting Sarah Marshall is about Peter, a broken-hearted television soundtrack composer, played by Jason Segel, who also wrote the movie. The composer goes to Hawaii to get over his ex, the titular character, played by Kristen Bell, only to see her there with her new boyfriend, rock star Aldous Snow, played by Russell Brand. Will he move on or will he continue to obsess over his ex?
Judd Apatow produced Forgetting Sarah Marshall so if you are familiar with his type of movie and enjoy it, then definitely check it out. The only warning that I was given before watching the movie was male full frontal nudity appears fairly early in the movie. There are also sexual situations discussed and depicted, but nothing prurient though acrobatic. I’m a prude in real life, but fairly unfazed when it comes to entertainment so I don’t think that I’m a great gauge of average standards and practices so you will have to decide for yourself if those warnings are a deal breaker. If it is, it is your loss because I thought the movie was funny, but not so funny that you are actually laughing out loud or uncontrollably laughing.
I found Forgetting Sarah Marshall appealing because even though it is a movie set in locales and socioeconomic brackets that the average viewer would never encounter, the characters are simultaneously so recognizable and odd that it is a joy to watch. The writing and the ensemble cast are perfectly paired. The editing and pacing of the story is perfect as the present scenes are intercut with triggered memories of the past for the former pair and as the memories get progressively more sour or sweet, the viewer gets an insight into the psychological state of the character and epiphanies that they are individually having about their time together. The trajectory of the emotional maturity of each character goes on parallel, but opposing paths.
My gauge for whether or not a movie really worked is if there is a character that bears traits that I normally would not like, but that character ends up being my problematic fave. Forgetting Sarah Marshall works because no one is a villain. I ended up thinking that Aldous Snow was an awesome human being. I know that initially sounds crazy, but hear me out. He never buys into the idea that Peter is his enemy just because he dated his girlfriend, is friendly with everyone that he encounters and is completely disinterested in playing psychological games. He is fairly honest about what he wants and is fully engaged in the moment and the people that are with him. When he isn’t fully honest in an attempt to be nice, he almost has a visceral allergic reaction and can’t be fake for long. My favorite scene with Aldous Snow is when he basically becomes an impromptu counselor for a newlywed Jack McBrayer, who is best known as the eternal page on 30 Rock and is never not hilarious. He may be a rock star, but he is also a genuine person. My second favorite scene is when Peter asks a pothead to do something in an emergency, and Aldous is completely realistic and knows the pothead is going to do nothing. For all his eccentricities, Aldous has enough common sense and awareness of his surroundings to be more perspicacious than anyone else in the movie, which may explain his success. When I found out that there was a sequel to this movie, Get Him to the Greek, I immediately requested it, but I hope that they get the character right again because it is a tricky blend of characteristics that don’t normally go together.
Bill Hader does not have many appearances in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, but as Peter’s stepbrother and best friend, he steals every scene that he is in. “I will equalize you!” I love that the bartender is a complete nerd about a certain topic. I was briefly Sarah when she screams at Aldous, “They are conflicting ideologies!” I’ve actually had that moment, and he is such a Unitarian Jihadist though genuine. It is great to finally see Kristen Bell in a good movie. Mila Kunis is always a reliable given. There are so many terrific supporting characters, including Apatow regulars such as Paul Rudd and Jonah Hill, that bring the story to life instead of leaving us in a dude rom com rut.
Because I’m not into rom coms, Forgetting Sarah Marshall won’t ever be at the top of my list, but for a rom com, it is one of the better ones because it as much about moving on or appreciating what you have as getting the hot girl. It actually reminded me of Pedro Almodovar’s Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, especially before he arrives in Hawaii and is still at work. I live a fairly Jason Segel free life except for Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared and his occasional appearance as a supporting character, but he definitely has the goods and makes smart entertainment. He not only has to make the movie about his characters, but he also has to credibly skewer and spoof television procedural series, which he successfully does with different shows. Even the importance of music and style is key to the narrative of this film and is not just played for laughs, but reflects the characters’ personalities.
It would be a mistake to take for granted Forgetting Sarah Marshall. It is a terribly intelligent comedy without a lot of moving parts that successfully orbit without colliding. I have no idea how you balance so many notes into a perfect blend instead of a cacophony of noise and neediness, but if you want to be entertained without losing too many brain cells, this is your movie.