We Won't Soon Forget 'Sarah Marshall'

by Brett Parker

One of my biggest pet peeves is movies about guys who cry over their ex-girlfriends. It’s annoying watching pathetic slackers whine over their girlfriends leaving them when it’s pretty obvious why that happened: because they’re pathetic slackers who whine! It’s this very reason that I had my fears about watching Forgetting Sarah Marshall. I enjoyed Jason Segal in Knocked Up and on TV’s How I Met Your Mother, but a whole movie about this guy balling over a break-up could have me groaning in frustration for two hours.

I’m happy to report that the movie is more than just that and is actually an enjoyable comedy. To be sure, Segal does do a great deal of crying, but as his tears dry up, hilarious comic gags and nice relationship scenes begin to spill out. The film isn’t exactly the powerhouse break-up film you’d expect it to be, but it makes a valiant effort to achieve that goal and you can’t help but admire it.

As the film opens, we learn that Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell) is one of television’s hottest stars on a CSI-type show. She appears to be in a happy relationship with her musician boyfriend Peter (Segal) who composes the musical score for the show. Things between them seem great, until the day Sarah dumps Peter for British rocker Aldous Snow (Russell Brand). Devastated and heartbroken, Peter needs to find an escape from his environment that constantly reminds him of Sarah. His step brother Brian (Bill Hader) suggests that Peter take a trip to Hawaii to clear his head.

The problem? Sarah and Aldous decide to take a holiday at the same exact hotel Peter is staying at on the island. Instead of running away crying, Peter decides to stand his ground and enjoy his vacation as best he can. Pretty soon he meets a chorus line of wonderful characters, including the beautiful Rachel (Mila Kunis). As Peter begins to open up and feel better, Sarah throws some emotional complications his way and he is forced to re-examine the relationship that has caused him so much heartbreak.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall wants both to be a hilarious comedy and a thoughtful break-up film. Its biggest problem is that these two ideals often get in the way of each other. Its goofy tone takes away from the authenticity of the relationship scenes and those very scenes aren’t as deep and involving as they strive to be. Yet in its efforts, it creates some enjoyable stand-alone moments. While this film isn’t as funny as The 40-Year-Old Virgin or Knocked Up, it does hold some scenes of feel-good hilarity (a scene where Peter makes a “Hawaiian breakfast” is one of the funniest gags I’ve ever seen). The relationship scenes don’t exactly reach the level of insight and honesty as High Fidelity, but it has far more brains than most cookie-cutter romances. The scenes in which Sarah and Peter talk honestly about their relationships are the best, for it brings more dimension and sympathy to Sarah and makes Peter realize that he’s not as victimless as he feels.

I also can’t tell you how much I loved Dracula: The Musical. Peter has spent a great deal of his musical career writing a rock opera about Dracula…with puppets! A great musical moment comes when Peter sings one of the Dracula songs for a Hawaiian bar. He performs the heartbreaking tune with a dead-on Transylvanian accent and touching sincerity. The song isn’t just a silly comedy tune but a well-written show tune that could exist in real life. Even a performance of the show towards the end proves that it would be one hell of a way to re-invent the art of puppetry, much the same way Broadway’s Avenue Q has done. The Dracula bit is one of the most inspired ideas I’ve ever seen in a romantic comedy.

It helps greatly that the performances are focused and realized. This movie is wall-to-wall with funny supporting characters. Jack McBrayer, Davon McDonald, and Russell Brand all bring funny and memorable impressions to their characters. Kunis proves to be a gorgeous and sincere leading lady who seems more genuine than most actresses in this genre. I also admired Kristen Bell for doing more with the Sarah character than just making her a high-maintenance ice queen. Yet the real surprise here is how Segal transcends our expectations of the role and makes Peter a likeable guy. In spite of his whining and self-pity, he manages to not only be funny, but to paint Peter as a good-hearted person who wins our sympathy and even our affection. I thank the Movie Gods that Peter doesn’t resemble Mark, the pathetic lunatic from Ethan Hawke’s awful break-up film, The Hottest State.

Break-ups are usually a depressing and emotionally draining aspect of everyday life. Therefore, most break-up films leave you feeling the same way. What I liked about Forgetting Sarah Marshall is the way it had me smiling the whole time and leaving the theatre with a good feeling. Underneath the plot, the filmmakers cheerfully convey the message that there are so many happy and enjoyable things one can do with themselves outside of romantic relationships. While I’ve seen better films convey this message more gracefully, I admire finding that message in such a silly comedy and appreciate the filmmakers for reaching beyond their grasp. I could name you a dozen better relationship movies right now, but with Hawaii and singing puppets, what’s not to enjoy?