Perhaps the best way to start this review is just to come out and say this film is a pure joy to watch. It is the kind of comedy that I love too see and I have a hunch already this will be a film I will revisit in the future. Forgetting Sarah Marshall is the kind of comedy that will have you smiling, if not laughing out loud for most of its run time. It also works well as a romance and has an actual sweet side to it that I found hard to resist. You’ll be hard pressed to find a much better comedy then Finding Sarah Marshall this year.
Forgetting Sarah Marshall tells the story of modest musician Peter Bretter, played here in a star making performance by Jason Segal. He is a kind of lovable slob who is happy with doing little more then writing music and sitting around in his apartment. Peter in the film is dating a famous television star Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell) and peter is some what obsessed with her. One day Sarah comes by his apartment, in a very funny scene, and dumps Peter. Naturally Peter is crushed by this and cant get over his ex, so he decides to get his mind off of her by going to Hawaii.
Unfortunately for Peter his ex is staying at the same resort as he is and to top that she is there with her new boyfriend, a cool British rock star. Getting over Sarah has just gotten a lot harder for Peter but soon Peter meets lots of off beat natives at the resort who help him get over Sarah. Among these new friends he meets a cute girl at the Hotels front desk, played with real charm by Mila Kunis. Soon they begin to grow romantically attached with one another and Peter finally loosens up.
For me the thing that keeps the film together and makes it work as well as it does is the wonderful performance by Jason Segal. Segal plays his character in a way that you can not help but root for him and like him. He provides a kind of sympathy that makes you want him succeed and gives you a rooting interest in the film. Also the jokes are much funny, as many of the jokes are at his expense. Segal I can see being a great romantic comedy actor in the same league as John Cusack. Along with a strongly sympathetic and comic performance, Segal also wrote the very funny script for the film. The script has some really fun gags in it but there is also a lot of smart observations. There is a really funny send up on shows like CSI for instance. The screenplay also has a real nice touch of real emotion and sweetness that adds to the film.
The supporting cast is also a great advantage to this film. There is a whole bunch of funny supporting characters that add a lot of laughs to this film. Jonah Hill is funny as an obsessed waiter, Paul Rudd good as a stoner surfer, and Russell Brand is hilarious as the goofy rocker Sarah is with. There are more I could go on with but these are just some of the highlights.
Looking back I really can find few things I find wrong with the film. I really enjoyed the film when I watched it and walked out with a smirk on my face that lasted for awhile. Even now as I look back on the film I seem to like it more. I already see it growing on me as I write this right now. I think maybe I could be over hyping this film but I really cant lie about how much I liked it. Its rare enough to find a film as funny as this one, it’s even harder to find one that is as sweet and smart as this one. In the future I can see this being a film I could watch again and enjoy it just as much the second time. Forgetting Sarah Marshall is a comedy is not to be missed, and it has a little of something for everyone. This is already a good contender for the best comedy of the year, as it will be pretty hard to beat.
4/ 4 Stars
No comments:
Post a Comment