*WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD*
in the media, a lot of what you hear about "forgetting sarah marshall" deals with the fact that writer/star jason segel does full frontal nudity in the film and how he prepared for it. segel is quoted as saying, "when a woman does nudity in a movie, men immediately switch into a sexual mode. for women, from what i understand, it's not like that. they see a naked, out-of-shape man crying and it's funny -- something weird, disturbing and disgusting we can all laugh at." and laugh you do during said scenes. however this judd apatow-produced flick is way more than penis shots.
small-time musician peter bretter (segel) and actress sarah marshall (kristen bell) have just ended a five year relationship...on her terms. she reveals that even though she loves peter very much, there's someone else. to say that peter doesn't take the breakup well is an understatement and after having a few one night stands, decides to take a vacation to hawaii. however, when he checks into his hotel, he finds that sarah and her famous new beau aldous snow (russell brand) have had the same idea.
peter befriends rachel (mila kunis) who works at the resort. their relationship develops based on the fact that they were both extremely hurt by their exes. peter also realizes how different rachel is from sarah in several quick flashback sequences that feature he and sarah on the red carpet; her getting pictures taken, and him holding her purse.
one of the greatest parts of this movie is when we get to hear an excerpt from a rock opera peter has been working on: dracula...with puppets. this is after rachel encourages peter to play a song from the opera at a local bar and peter realizes that sarah never supported him in his dream to create this musical. segel nails the voice of dracula as he sings a ballad dealing with the slaying of van helsing and dracula's immortal fate. the song itself combined with segel's facial expressions make for big laughs and the desire to hear more...which we do towards the end of the film.
"forgetting sarah marshall" is jam-packed with famous funny faces. paul rudd plays a stoner surfing instructor who is full of "wisdom." jonah hill is a waiter obsessed with aldous snow, while jack mcbrayer of nbc's "30 rock" plays a frustrated christian on his honeymoon. the scenes where he is trying to have sex with his new wife are ridiculously funny and full of quotable lines like "no! god put our mouths on our head for a reason!" when his wife tries to orally please him. also, bill hader plays peter's stepbrother brian who is on a mission to get peter over sarah, along with the help of his pregnant wife liz.
the movie is like any judd apatow flick in that is it quotable to no end. remember how everyone was quoting "anchorman" a few years back [and actually still are]? you'll probably see that happening with "forgetting sarah marshall." segel puts his comedic writing genius on display in this film and it delivers.
beyond all the naked scenes, quotable lines, and comedic genius, this film is very sweet in that it shows how it really is to have your heart truly broken. peter's distressing scenes of weeping are funny, but there is truth in them that everyone can recognize. it's like looking back at a situation that was horrible and being able to laugh about it now. what's more is this film gets into the nitty-gritty of relationship dynamics. peter realizes that the pedestal he's had sarah on is unwarranted, but not before we learn that he wasn't the only one who was hurt in the relationship. although sarah did things that are unforgivable, like any relationship, she did them for a reason. kristen bell does a really great job in the scene where she tells peter how hard she worked at the relationship and how much it crushed her that he didn't do his part. the film accurately shows how complicated both relationships and breakups are in that there's always two sides to every story. at one point, sarah questions her decision to end the relationship when she looks back on how great peter always was to her. this is such a "true" moment because everyone can identify with breaking up with someone, only to second guess yourself...especially when you see them with someone new.
all in all, the film delivers on every level. it's uproariously funny and very cute without making you puke. all the actors play their roles perfectly and the audience is able to pick up on the necessary nuances in their facial expressions and body language during uncomfortable scenes. this film is a must-see in theaters...if only to see the full frontal scenes on the big screen.
rating: 5/5
