Forgetting Sarah Marshall

B+

Yet another Judd Apatow movie. Though I haven't been that happy with them in the past, they keep getting good reviews and I keep thinking I shouldn't miss out. So here is another one with many of the same cast members, but this one definitely has more polish and a more sensible plot than some in the past. In fact, Forgetting Sarah Marshall is pretty much a conventional romantic comedy that merely has Apatow flourishes including his recent trend of showing lots of unnecessary male nudity, which since most of the audience is probably male, seems like he's playing a joke on people that support the movie. Not particularly funny in Walk Hard, it is even less funny here.

The performances are generally very good. Though the main character is a depressed couch potato, he does elicit some sympathy and his character develops over the course of the film. In fact, all of the characters develop and change over the course of the movie, and that really makes things work. The comedy is adequate and occasionally very good, which is about all that keeps this from being a chick flick. It is unfortunate that the movie has such a vulgar streak because this could very easily have been a mainstream film. Yes, it is still unbelievable that this couch potato could be in a five-year relationship with a very hot TV star, let alone find someone even prettier in Mila Kunis. Girls that hot aren't that nice to guys that pathetic, but this is a movie. Kunis plays her role perfectly as the hotel desk clerk who feels sorry for the guy who has just been dumped. This isn't her Jackie character from That 70's Show; she plays a person with flaws and feelings with such ease that it makes the character seem completely genuine. If that performance doesn't work, the whole movie doesn't work. But it works.

If you can get past the vulgarity and male nudity, and if you don't expect a laugh riot, this is actually a pretty good movie. B+

Back to Index