Forgetting Sarah Marshall

It’s kinda hard to start this review without mentioning the previous films from the Judd Apatow camp of comedy, from the success of Knocked Up and Superbad, to the poorly received Drillbit Taylor (which I did like personally). This new band of comedic upstarts seem to have a hold on the market of late.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall is the latest offering from the clan Apatow, with Jason Segal moving from supporting player (he was one of the friends in Knocked Up, and star of American TV show How I Met Your Mother) to lead actor. He also wrote the script for the film.

Jason plays Peter, a semi-successful television composer. He just happens to be the boyfriend of Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell), who at this moment in time is one of television’s top stars, appearing in a gritty cop drama along the lines of CSI alongside co-star Billy Baldwin, who has some of the funniest lines in the film.

So what can go wrong for our talented couple? Well, a phone call out of the blue and a couple of shots of full frontal male nudity could crush any man's ego. Finding out that your girlfriend is leaving you for another man is humiliating enough, but finding out that he's Russell Brand is another story.

After casually picking up random girls in bars, Peter decides to go to Hawaii to sort out his head and get over the tragic break up. There he is introduced to Rachel Jensen (Mila Kunis) who offers him a great deal on the most expensive suite after his run in with his Ex and her new dandy Aldous Snow (the out-of-his-depth Russell Brand).

Peter’s relationship with Rachel starts to blossom, much to the frustrations of Sarah Marshall, as she finds Aldous' walking gland act more repulsive by the day.

With a few comedy set pieces involving Paul Rudd as a stoner surfing instructor and Jonah Hill as an obsessed Aldous Snow fan, the film starts to pick up a little and the humour gets a little weird.

Jason Segal holds his own (quite literally) as a likeable male lead, as his awkward charm seems to carry him through the film. Kristen Bell doesn’t have much to go with and hers is a rather wooden character. Russell Brand is just not suited to this sort of role, acting wise. I can see why they cast him, as he fits the character type, but his performance is boring. I would rather have seen Paul Rudd get the role of Aldous Snow as he is one of the best comedy actors around today. The stand out for me in the film was Mila Kunis who is not only beautiful but has great comic timing.

Overall this is an enjoyable film, and as it introduces us to a new talent in the Apatow stable, it is worth a watch. But if you are looking for great comedy this weekend, go and watch Jessica Alba in The Eye.