FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL (2008) - Nicholas Stoller

Less than a month after the truly awful Drillbit Taylor, the Judd Apatow camp has released another comedy. This time, the film follows the formula of the other major hits, such as The 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up. But, remarkably, Seth Rogen doesn’t make one appearance in this film! Not even a cameo. This time, the protagonist is played by Jason Segel, Rogen’s mate Jason from Knocked Up. Segel follows in Rogen’s footsteps in that he also wrote Forgetting Sarah Marshall himself, and it’s directed by Nicholas Stoller.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall continues the formula of the lovable loser who does good, that worked so well for previous Apatow directed and produced hits. This time, the loser in question is Peter Bretter. He’s a music composer for hit television show, Crime Scene, which also stars his girlfriend, Sarah Marshall. Sarah arrives on Peter’s doorstep one afternoon to break up with Peter, something that leaves him devastated. In order to forget his troubles, Peter takes a holiday in Hawaii, something he and Sarah always planned to do. But to his despair, Peter discovers Sarah is staying in the same hotel with her new boyfriend, pop star, Aldous Snow.



I’ll admit, when I saw the trailer for Forgetting Sarah Marshall, my immediate reaction was, PASS. After the piece of muck that was Drillbit Taylor, and considering the film looked like the same routine that was done in these films before, I was just not into going through the motions yet again. But after seeing Forgetting Sarah Marshall, I’m pleased to admit that my initial reactions were wrong. Sure, the whole loveable loser schtick is repeated here, but the resulting film goes to prove that if something ain’t broke, don’t fix it! And the schtick works again. The acid test for a comedy, no matter how formulaic it is, or how many times it’s been done, is whether or not it is funny. Laughs are paramount, and Forgetting Sarah Marshall has plenty.

Jason Segel who plays Peter steps up from being a support player to being the lead, and succeeds without any real problems. He’s completely sympathetic as the centre for all the action to take place around. And while he’s not the funniest character in the film, he does provide a solid base for all the laughs to sit on top of. The titular character, Sarah Marshall, is played by Kristen Bell. I only know Bell from the god-awful television show, Heroes, and she somewhat reprises the ‘bitch’ role for this film. But rather than paint her into being a stereotype, Segel makes her a more sympathetic character, so she isn’t just a figure the audience can hate. Bell carries this off without any problem. Her new boyfriend, musician and lothario, Aldous Snow is played by British comedian, Russell Brand. I’m no fan of Brand’s stand-up, and I was unsure if he’d be able to pull off the role, but he’s actually very good in the role. Like Marshall, he’s not a hate-figure in the film and instead is quite a likable character. Brand seems very comfortable in the role (given what’s been reported about his partying lifestyle, this comes as no surprise) and delivers some of the film’s funnier lines with great comic timing.



The rest of the cast is filled with some familiar Apatow faces. Stalwart, Paul Rudd pops up as Chuck, the stoner surf instructor. Superbad star Jonah Hill has a great small role as a waiter who is somewhat obsessed with Aldous Snow. And Mila Kunis plays the new object of Peter’s affections, Rachel Jansen. All are very comfortable in their roles and fit into the story without seeming tacked-on.

While it’s true that Forgetting Sarah Marshall falls into the Apatow-mould like the other films, it finds it holds it’s own in the series. It’s very funny and very likable. And while it’s not groundbreaking, it doesn’t need to be. It’s just very entertaining.


8/10

KNOCKED UP (2007) - Judd Apatow

Okay crew, set your phasers on dumb. Well, to be honest, that's not entirely fair. While some of the humor in Judd Apatow's Knocked Up certainly aims for the crass, there's a lot about this film that is smart. Not least the casting, which is top-knotch. The humor is broad in every sense of the word, but that's not a bad thing. Knocked Up arrives on these shores (it's won over both critics and audiences in the US since it's release in June) with a huge amount of hype, but while it's not the greatest comedy of all time, it's certainly the best comedy of 2007 so far. And another hit for Judd Apatow and his go-to guy, Seth Rogen.

Rogen plays Ben Stone, an illegal Canadian immigrant stoner who lives with his friends and dreams of starting a web site that tells subscribers at what point in any movie, any given female movie star whips off her clothes. Yes, this is a man with lofty ambitions. Meanwhile, Alison Scott, played by Katherine Heigl, is working for the E! Network and receives the promotion of a lifetime. A promotion that will see her put in front of the cameras. She and her sister hit the town and run into Ben. Ben and Alison spend a drunken night together, and go their separate ways. Eight weeks later, Alison starts vomiting uncontrollably which, according to my medical degree, is a sure-fire sign of pregnancy. Alison, who was none to enamored with Ben once the beer-goggles fell off, decides to tell her slacker one-night stand about the proverbial bun in the oven. Ben decides to step up to the plate. But these people are polar opposites, and while Ben's intentions are certainly noble, their compatibility as a couple with a baby due will be put to the test.



The premise of Knocked Up is relatively simple. It's a formula that's been done before. The old rite of passage tale, with plenty of lessons to be learned, and responsibilities to be taken on. But while this formula is quite familiar, if there's plenty of laughs to be had, what's wrong with revisiting it again?! And what's so successful about Knocked Up is that the laughs are incredibly consistent and genuinely funny. Apatow made his mark on Hollywood with The 40 Year Old Virgin. I cant say I was a huge fan of the film, and I barely remember it (apart from the great waxing scene). But this is the film that will make his name.

I'm willing to admit, there is a certain amount of suspension of disbelief to be employed with this movie. Ben and Alison's relationship is a little unrealistic. She, the attractive, successful type takes to the stoner slacker quite quickly (believe me, it doesn't happen like that in real life!), and it all goes a little too swimmingly. But while we have the idealistic relationship between Ben and Alison, Apatow also plays a trump card by contrasting it to Alison's sister Debbie's relationship with her husband, Pete (played by Leslie Mann and Paul Rudd). Here we see how Ben and Alison's relationship MIGHT end up. And it ain't all sunshine and flowers. It's an interesting way of approaching the subject matter, and is key to what makes the film work.



Of course, there's plenty of low-brow humor too. After all, Ben's a stoner. But the jokes are well written, and the cast is so damn likeable that it'll take one cold-hearted person not to be won over by the movie. Sure, there's quite a bit of saccharine that's lavished over the whole affair, but in the end, this is a comedy. And there are plenty of laughs. The best comedy of 2007? So far, definitely. But with positive word being spread about Superbad, which is written by Rogen himself, this achievement may be short-lived. Which is great to hear. With 2007 being such a shitty year, we're all in need of a good few laughs.


8/10