Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and Judd Apatow

I'm one of the few people in the 18-25 age range who did not see 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall' in theaters. Fortunately, yesterday I watched it on DVD.

I'm going to begin with a small rant, and then progress into the actual movie.

Judd Apatow is one of the most overrated people in Hollywood. 'The 40 year-old Virgin' was amusing, but failed to be anything more than a traditional rom-com with more vulgar language. It lacked the wit that a movie like 'Clueless' would have. 'Knocked Up' followed pretty much the same format: Vulgarity as a substitute for classy humor. Oh, but humor does not have to be classy -- but all comedy derives from the same formats. Content is not as important as context. I won't lie and say I sat through those movies without laughing. Laugh, I did. But five years from now, or even today, both of those films are forgotten just as quickly as they were 'hits.'

Judd Apatow has helped jump-start a few actors' careers. Seth Rogen got 'Superbad' made into a film, but that was pretty much the high school version of '40 Year-old Virgin.' Same pony, same trick. Again, 'Superbad' has faded almost into obscurity, and it's only a year old. 'Pineapple Express,' a different kind of film, showed that Seth Rogen does know how to structure a story. He just doesn't know how to develop characters. The film was inferior to 'Harold and Kumar' in every aspect.

The worst tragedy coming up is Apatow's next film featuring stand-up comedy from Seth Rogen, Adam Sandler, and Jonah Hill. Jonah Hill? Are you joking? This kid is all kinds of awful. The film will be titled 'Funny People,' which I can only assume is intended to be ironic.

But there has been on real gem from all of this mess. In producing Forgetting Sarah Marshall it looks like Apatow stepped aside and let Jason Segal do all the work. And finally, after many movies, we get one that actually does work. [Review after the cut.]

What's so great about 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall' (FSM from here on out) is that, while a romantic comedy of sorts, we feel comfortable that the film will not step into cliche. The first act is structured so well that we don't anticipate a cliche to surface, but can sit and enjoy these characters in what seems like a natural state. A prime example is toward the end: In too many movies the girl our hero is actually in love with walks in on the hero being pleasured (euphemism) by his ex-girlfriend, freaks out, doesn't want to take him back, they have a fight, and eventually make up. The walk-in is a cliche, and the film almost preps us for it with Rachel working at the hotel, but it's Peter himself that confesses.

Peter pins a key point of the movie for us when he's talking to Aldous, Sarah Marshall's new boyfriend. He says that he hates him because of the circumstances, and wants to dislike him, but that Aldous is really such a cool dude. It's true. Unlike in many other movies where the new guy is an antagonist, here the antagonist is our title character, Sarah Marshall. But even she is passive, propelled into situations by the other characters. It's an interesting scope here, the relationship between everyone. The aggressive, open, talkative males are the good in everything, whereas the quiet, catty Sarah Marshall is the cause of all the drama.

If there's one thing to gripe about, it's Mila Kunis' role in the film. Her character knows what she wants, is completely lovable, and makes Hawaii much more beautiful than it already is. Unfortunately, her past and troubled relationships with ex-boyfriends appears crammed in to cover some tracks. A slightly rethought history on her part would have benefited the movie, though a scene with her and Peter on top of an island cliff is close to perfection.

I don't know if this is Jason Segal's one hit wonder screenplay or not. From his anecdotes during press, it seems like it might be; however, I'm extremely curious to see what he can pen next. If it's any bit as good as FSM, I'll see it in theaters this time.