During the shooting of the short-lived, but beloved Judd Apatow college sitcom, “Undeclared,” the producer/writer/director gave co-star Jason Segel (who he originally wanted as the lead) some simple and plain advice. “You’re a really weird guy. The only way you’re going to make it is if you write your own material.”
And after starring in a few Apatow supporting roles (most notably in “Knocked-Up”) Segel obviously did just that. Plus after both Seth Rogen and Jonah Hill made it big, it was time for the next big lovable schlub from the Apatow Family Players to take their shot at the lead spot.
Apatow also recently said, “I’m gonna get a penis in every movie I do from now on,” and obviously from all the press it’s getting the dangling wang, is receiving a lot of attention. But full-frontal flaccid penis nudity aside (Segel hangs out in all his limp glory twice for about 73 frames), the break-up comedy (or disaster romance film) “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” is much more than that (or at least some/most of the time). And if you can get past the semi-annoying and near-ubiquitous marketing of “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” – which rivals “Cloverfield” in omnipresence though 10x more fun and clever –, you’ll be glad you came back to witness the return to form.
The dorky, awkward and endearing Jason Segel plays man-child struggling musician Peter Bretter who after five years of near lap-doggish adoration and slovenly idleness gets dumped by his more famous girlfriend Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell from “Veronica Mars”) – the star of the [fictitious] hit NBC crimeshow “Crime Scene ” who’s grown a little tired of his boyishly indolent antics (which include a stalled Dracula-themed rock opera).
Distraught and heartbroken, Segel becomes more unhinged when he discovers, via tabloid TV, that Marshall has begun dating British music Lothario Aldous Snow (played by new troupe member Russell Brand; a good fake YouTube clip explains this below). After some trainwrecky attempts at womanizing himself, the lost at sea lead escapes to Hawaii at the behest of his step-brother (Bill Hader) only to discover much to his horror that his ex-girlfriend and her terminally hip jagweed rocker boyfriend are vacationing in the exact same spot.
Hilarity is supposed to ensue, and mostly does if you haven’t spoiled half the movie and good parts with many of the Red-band rated trailers (like we unfortunately did), and while the first half is pleasant and amusing enough, it begins to feels familiar almost to the point of routine (though supporting players, Paul Rudd, Jonah Hill and “30 Rock” page Kenneth Parcell, do their best to keep the comedy flowing in their various and unique flavors).
Halfway through the picture however, ‘Marshall’s sadsack and dejected tone starts to feel genuinely heavy-hearted and melancholy. While it’s not quite “Annie Hall,” by any stretch of the imagination, there are some surprisingly vulnerable and touching moments and these scenes separate the film from the regular boys club school of Apatow films that many (ladies?) peoples have complained about. Segel is the sensitive one of the pack, or at least he knows how to write that way and his flair for writing some painfully honest come-to-jesus relationship moments in the film are downright disarming (Mila Kunis who we never cared for before is also incredibly adorable and charming as the girl that gets Segel on the road to recovery).
It’s the Apatow school of dickjokes with heart with a few all-too-real heartaching tears rolling down your face and it’s a nice change of pace for these dudes. Keep in mind, there’s plenty of doofus bro-down humor to satisfy those specifically there for the lolz, but with mangina fully on display, ‘Sarah Marshall’ can’t help but be a mix of feelings both bittersweet and hilarious.
Let’s also not forget about the amazing knack for mixing the embarrassing and awkward with the hurt, winsomeness and naive joyfulness. Wisely, any scene that threatens to get too mushy with emotion is quickly undercut with the comedic equivalent of a fast lovetap flick of the nuts.
Near the end and on the comeback trail to happiness, or at least a comfort with uncertainty, Belle & Sebastian’s fey classic, “Get Me Away From Here I’m Dying,” plays while Segel happily watches a wedding and we only mention it because the lyrics and sprightly mood might capture the final tone better than anything we could ever say. “And then, with a winning smile, the boy, with naivety succeeds. At the final moment, I cried
I always cry at endings.” And every dude can relate to that moment in life when they are forced to escape adultlescence and grow the fuck up already.
‘Sarah Marshall’ first half certainly hits all familiar notes of the Apatow heart n’ balls comedy wheelhouse, but dares to dig slightly deeper into the awkwardly wonderfully nether regions of a dude’s ability to cry while his schlong is left dangling in the wind. Call us a wuss, but we kinda loved this sweet little film. [B+]
Watch: Sarah Marshall Breaks Up With Peter Bretter on “Hollywood Spotlight”
