Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)
Directed by: Nicholas Stoller
Starring:
Jason Segel, Mila Kunis, Russell Brand, Jonah Hill, Kristen Bell, Paul Rudd, Bill Hader, Jack McBrayer & William Baldwin
Sometimes the reviews that should be the easiest to write end up being the hardest. I meant to review this film as soon as I was done watching it, but I wanted to make sure I was going to do it justice. I still don't know if I can. But just like it's time to move on with my own life, it's time to get this on paper already and move on to the next film.
I saw Forgetting Sarah Marshall at the opening show on opening day in Tucson, Arizona. It was not only because of desire, but also heavily due to necessity. As some of you know, my girlfriend/fiance of 7 years left me just days before this film was released. I was already looking forward to this movie, but once I found myself in an eerily similar position to the main character, I knew I had to see it right away, even if some of it was going to be painfully on point.
This film was always going to be important to me to a certain extent because it was connected so closely to Judd Apatow, who over the last few years has become one of the most influential directors in my life. (What Tarantino means to me in his genre, is equal to what Apatow means to me in his.) He didn't direct the film, but many members of Apatow's Army are in it and beyond that, his fingerprints are on the overall feel of this splendid comedy. But I had no idea how much I was going to need this film until right before its release. Sure, I'm from Hawaii, where much of the film takes place, but that connection was just the tip of the iceberg, but I'll get to that later.
Jason Segel plays a musician who is dating out of his league. His relationship is one that would scare a lesser man. He lives in the shadow of his more successful mate, played by Kristen Bell, who is the star of a hit television show that resembles CSI at times and Law & Order at others. She dumps him in favor of the lead singer of a charting rock band. Segel decides to go to Hawaii to clear his mind but much to his chagrin, his ex has decided to do the same as he discovers when he awkwardly encounters her as he is trying to check into a totally booked hotel. Luckily, the stunning front desk agent, played by a newly rejuvenated Mila Kunis, who is surprisingly awesome here, pities him and allows him to stay in a special suite usually reserved for the likes of Oprah and as we find out later, Dakota Fanning. After a few nights of solo dining and loud sobbing, Kunis is nice enough to accompany Segel on a couple nights out on the town. As he falls for her, his ex is having trouble with her new guy and suddenly feels drawn to Segel again.
The important part of the film for me was watching Segel figure out how to go on with his life because I was trying to do the same thing and still am as I type this. When the break up happens, Segel perfectly captures what someone who is dumped goes through without saying a word. All you have to do is look at his face. I was glad to see him give an inspired performance because he often seems out of place and/or underused on How I Met Your Mother, a sitcom that I enjoy, but always seems to be missing a little something. Working with Apatow and his cohorts seems to be the cure as any fan of Freaks and Geeks and his comeback performance in Knocked Up could tell you. It's only a matter of time before this guy starts branching out, but lets hope he does a couple more Apatow films before it's all said and done.
Relating to Segel's performance was easy as pie for me, because I was his character at the time of my viewing. My girlfriend (who was probably out of my league) dumped me and I was forced to go to Hawaii to forget about her. I will be moving back there at the end of June. At one point of the film, his ex reveals to him that she left him because they were going in different directions and also because he stopped taking care of himself. That hit way too close to home for me and it was hard to admit at first, but as time goes by, coming to terms with these things not only helps me deal with the break up, but it also is helping me figure out how to do things better next time around. If life was like Hollywood, it would be simple. I'd just go have sex with Mila Kunis and my life would be right back on track overnight. While I can't yet relate to how things ended up for Segel's character, he still helped me deal with a lot of my issues at the time. I watched the film again a couple weeks later and things were even more clear and it helped me come to terms with the fact that it's really time for me to get on with my life, no matter how painful it may be. If I end up finding my Mila Kunis, things will only get better, but I'm prepared for the worst at this point, because frankly, I feel like I've already been through it.
Enough about me already. The film stands well on its own I'm sure, whether or not you've been through a break up recently. Most of us have been through one at some time or another anyway. It's just a damn funny film that flows nicely and brings that extra added element of fun being that it's mostly in Hawaii, which appeals to a lot of viewers from the mainland. I enjoyed the Polynesian actors that were used in the film. They made me homesick. It's a good thing I'm headed back soon. (Shit, I just made it about me again.)
There are tons of great performances from usual suspects and newcomers alike. Russell Brand was probably my favorite. I had never heard of this guy until I heard him on the Opie & Anthony Show a couple days before the film came out. Brand, a stand up comedian, who you'll be happy to know sounds exactly like he does in the film, revealed that the storyline about him being a recovering drug addict/alcoholic was from his real life. He sounded like a great man and hearing him on the radio was almost as amazing as seeing him on the screen. I couldn't help but fall in love with his character even though he had some douche-worthy moments. In the interview, Segel was also there and he, himself revealed that the Dracula musical he is working on in the film is also from his real life. Segel said that it was supposed to be totally serious and not the least bit ironic, just like in the film. And who was it that told Segel he was out of his mind? None other than Judd Apatow himself.
Kunis, as stated before, was not just beautiful, but put on a great performance. She just stayed within herself and managed to not go over the top too often. I was happy to see Segel choose her over Bell, whose character I found to be a bit annoying and very self-centered.
Rudd and Hill were excellent as always. Jonah Hill following Brand around like the plague was just precious, especially when he begged ol' Russell to listen to his demo tape (cd). Rudd shines as a surf instructor whose best moment is when he makes fun of Brand's accent while Brand is bleeding heavily due to a piece of coral stuck in his leg. 30 Rock's Jack McBrayer is also fantastic as a newlywed who is deathly afraid of his bride's newfound sexual appetite and SNL's Bill Hader is stellar as Segel's step brother who encourages him to get over Bell's character pronto.
William Baldwin is deliciously cheesy as he channels David Caruso for his "role" in the show within the movie that he stars in with Sarah Marshall. There is another great cameo that I will not ruin for you right after the closing credits start featuring another favorite of mine. It's only a matter of time before there is a CSI parody on TV or at the cinema. Maybe Apatow should hurry up and do it before somebody else thinks about it.
I know I made this one a lot about me, but there was no other way to do it. Nicholas Stoller just so happened to make a film about me by accident. I know they didn't mean to, but I have to thank everybody involved anyway. I know I would have snapped out of it eventually, but Forgetting Sarah Marshall probably sped up the healing process. I haven't forgotten about my "Sarah Marshall" yet, but I'm getting there. If only real pain lasted a mere 112 minutes...
Directed by: Nicholas Stoller
Starring:
Jason Segel, Mila Kunis, Russell Brand, Jonah Hill, Kristen Bell, Paul Rudd, Bill Hader, Jack McBrayer & William Baldwin
Sometimes the reviews that should be the easiest to write end up being the hardest. I meant to review this film as soon as I was done watching it, but I wanted to make sure I was going to do it justice. I still don't know if I can. But just like it's time to move on with my own life, it's time to get this on paper already and move on to the next film.
I saw Forgetting Sarah Marshall at the opening show on opening day in Tucson, Arizona. It was not only because of desire, but also heavily due to necessity. As some of you know, my girlfriend/fiance of 7 years left me just days before this film was released. I was already looking forward to this movie, but once I found myself in an eerily similar position to the main character, I knew I had to see it right away, even if some of it was going to be painfully on point.
This film was always going to be important to me to a certain extent because it was connected so closely to Judd Apatow, who over the last few years has become one of the most influential directors in my life. (What Tarantino means to me in his genre, is equal to what Apatow means to me in his.) He didn't direct the film, but many members of Apatow's Army are in it and beyond that, his fingerprints are on the overall feel of this splendid comedy. But I had no idea how much I was going to need this film until right before its release. Sure, I'm from Hawaii, where much of the film takes place, but that connection was just the tip of the iceberg, but I'll get to that later.
Jason Segel plays a musician who is dating out of his league. His relationship is one that would scare a lesser man. He lives in the shadow of his more successful mate, played by Kristen Bell, who is the star of a hit television show that resembles CSI at times and Law & Order at others. She dumps him in favor of the lead singer of a charting rock band. Segel decides to go to Hawaii to clear his mind but much to his chagrin, his ex has decided to do the same as he discovers when he awkwardly encounters her as he is trying to check into a totally booked hotel. Luckily, the stunning front desk agent, played by a newly rejuvenated Mila Kunis, who is surprisingly awesome here, pities him and allows him to stay in a special suite usually reserved for the likes of Oprah and as we find out later, Dakota Fanning. After a few nights of solo dining and loud sobbing, Kunis is nice enough to accompany Segel on a couple nights out on the town. As he falls for her, his ex is having trouble with her new guy and suddenly feels drawn to Segel again.
The important part of the film for me was watching Segel figure out how to go on with his life because I was trying to do the same thing and still am as I type this. When the break up happens, Segel perfectly captures what someone who is dumped goes through without saying a word. All you have to do is look at his face. I was glad to see him give an inspired performance because he often seems out of place and/or underused on How I Met Your Mother, a sitcom that I enjoy, but always seems to be missing a little something. Working with Apatow and his cohorts seems to be the cure as any fan of Freaks and Geeks and his comeback performance in Knocked Up could tell you. It's only a matter of time before this guy starts branching out, but lets hope he does a couple more Apatow films before it's all said and done.
Relating to Segel's performance was easy as pie for me, because I was his character at the time of my viewing. My girlfriend (who was probably out of my league) dumped me and I was forced to go to Hawaii to forget about her. I will be moving back there at the end of June. At one point of the film, his ex reveals to him that she left him because they were going in different directions and also because he stopped taking care of himself. That hit way too close to home for me and it was hard to admit at first, but as time goes by, coming to terms with these things not only helps me deal with the break up, but it also is helping me figure out how to do things better next time around. If life was like Hollywood, it would be simple. I'd just go have sex with Mila Kunis and my life would be right back on track overnight. While I can't yet relate to how things ended up for Segel's character, he still helped me deal with a lot of my issues at the time. I watched the film again a couple weeks later and things were even more clear and it helped me come to terms with the fact that it's really time for me to get on with my life, no matter how painful it may be. If I end up finding my Mila Kunis, things will only get better, but I'm prepared for the worst at this point, because frankly, I feel like I've already been through it.
Enough about me already. The film stands well on its own I'm sure, whether or not you've been through a break up recently. Most of us have been through one at some time or another anyway. It's just a damn funny film that flows nicely and brings that extra added element of fun being that it's mostly in Hawaii, which appeals to a lot of viewers from the mainland. I enjoyed the Polynesian actors that were used in the film. They made me homesick. It's a good thing I'm headed back soon. (Shit, I just made it about me again.)
There are tons of great performances from usual suspects and newcomers alike. Russell Brand was probably my favorite. I had never heard of this guy until I heard him on the Opie & Anthony Show a couple days before the film came out. Brand, a stand up comedian, who you'll be happy to know sounds exactly like he does in the film, revealed that the storyline about him being a recovering drug addict/alcoholic was from his real life. He sounded like a great man and hearing him on the radio was almost as amazing as seeing him on the screen. I couldn't help but fall in love with his character even though he had some douche-worthy moments. In the interview, Segel was also there and he, himself revealed that the Dracula musical he is working on in the film is also from his real life. Segel said that it was supposed to be totally serious and not the least bit ironic, just like in the film. And who was it that told Segel he was out of his mind? None other than Judd Apatow himself.
Kunis, as stated before, was not just beautiful, but put on a great performance. She just stayed within herself and managed to not go over the top too often. I was happy to see Segel choose her over Bell, whose character I found to be a bit annoying and very self-centered.
Rudd and Hill were excellent as always. Jonah Hill following Brand around like the plague was just precious, especially when he begged ol' Russell to listen to his demo tape (cd). Rudd shines as a surf instructor whose best moment is when he makes fun of Brand's accent while Brand is bleeding heavily due to a piece of coral stuck in his leg. 30 Rock's Jack McBrayer is also fantastic as a newlywed who is deathly afraid of his bride's newfound sexual appetite and SNL's Bill Hader is stellar as Segel's step brother who encourages him to get over Bell's character pronto.
William Baldwin is deliciously cheesy as he channels David Caruso for his "role" in the show within the movie that he stars in with Sarah Marshall. There is another great cameo that I will not ruin for you right after the closing credits start featuring another favorite of mine. It's only a matter of time before there is a CSI parody on TV or at the cinema. Maybe Apatow should hurry up and do it before somebody else thinks about it.
I know I made this one a lot about me, but there was no other way to do it. Nicholas Stoller just so happened to make a film about me by accident. I know they didn't mean to, but I have to thank everybody involved anyway. I know I would have snapped out of it eventually, but Forgetting Sarah Marshall probably sped up the healing process. I haven't forgotten about my "Sarah Marshall" yet, but I'm getting there. If only real pain lasted a mere 112 minutes...
Killer and brutally honest review. To be honest with you, this film really surprised me because I was expecting nothing from it until I saw the trailers.
Everyone is good in it. I really liked Bill Hader and Mila Kunis in it a lot.
I hope your return home goes well for you.
I can only imagine this was a very personal film for you on a number of levels.
I didn't know about you and your girl. Of course, I haven't been on MySpace at all, so I wouldn't. I'm sending you my condolences. In my culture, hearing about a divorce (even thought you were not yet married) is like hearing someone died. If there is anything I can do, let me know.
Claire