Piles
Posts: 5531
Joined: 6/8/2007
From: Whalley Range
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Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008, Nicholas Stoller) After Knocked Up and Superbad, it was quite clear that producer Judd Apatow was on a bit of a role. He'd re-invented the rom-com genre, and was marking out his territory as the king of quirk. 2007 was his year, and as his first film to be brought out in 2008, Forgetting Sarah Marshall had a lot to live up to. Compared to the quirky genius of Superbad and Knocked Up, Sarah Marshall was destined to be that difficult third movie. So, does it live up to the very high standard set by its predecessors? The answer is an unfortunate 'no'. That's not to say that Sarah Marshall is a bad film, because it's most certainly not awful. Indeed, the comedic prowess is there for all to see. It boasts a whole host of hilarious set-ups, usually revolving around Russell Brand's rock star Alduos Snow, who has run off with Peter Bretter's (Jason Segel) celebrity girlfriend Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell). However, fate's on Peter's side, thanks to the introduction of quirky hotel receptionist Rachel Jansen (Kristen Bell), who takes pity on her customer but inevitably begins to fall for the loveable loser.
The laughs stem, mostly, from the supporting cast. Jonah Hill's Snow-stalker is suitably lecherous, whose affectionate approaches towards his rock star idol are constantly pushed away but never manage to dent the young waiter's spirits. Equally hilarious is Paul Rudd as laid back surfer dude Chuck, who Segel's Peter thinks he's found a friend in only to realise that he has to re-introduce himself after every re-meeting. Bill Hader is fantastically funny in the small time he's given as Peter's brother-in-law, but he's sorely underused. Sarah Marshall's real star is, obviously, Russell Brand, whose performance is much more successful than his showing in 2007's St Trinian's. His broad (and unmasked) Essex accent sometimes clashes with the American background, but his eloquent vocabulary and his incredibly skilled bodywork. But the main pitfall with Sarah Marshall is that this high standard that the supporting cast sets is simply not met by its principal cast members. The most successful character-wise is Kristen Bell's Sarah Marshall, who manages to be sympathetic and aggravating in equal measures. But this great character development isn't backed up by any comedic talent whatsoever. Mila Kunis' Rachel Jansen is a ridiculous, two-dimensional caricature who doesn't do anything other than supply an adequate love interest for Segel's Bretter, who is also a failure. No one who's being chased around by Kristen Bell and Mila Kunis can ever be called a 'loser'.
There's a lot of fun to be had in the middle Hawaii segment that rests in the middle of the film, because that's where a lot of the main characters exclusively reside. Hill's Michael the Waiter and Rudd's Chuck go out of the window as soon as we return home, thus making the central segment clearly the most enjoyable and, therefore, the funniest. However, off the island there's a distinct lack of pace to the point of lag. The first twenty minutes concentrate on Segel's moping Peter feeling sorry for himself, a segment that is both overlong and unfunny. Of course, there has to be some sentimental moments, but to put that segment at the opening of the film is a bad move as we don't get inducted with a bang. The last twenty, too, could have been left off with the same effect had the director decided not to comply to usual rom-com structure. This move isn't a favourable one, leaving us with an unsavoury taste in our mouths and a feeling that we've seen this all before.
Verdict Formulaic fun from the Apatow bunch that doesn't quite live up to the standard of his earlier films. There's still a lot of laughs to be had, mostly thanks to Rudd, Hader, Hill and Brand, but it's all just a little bit too obvious to be great. 5/10.
< Message edited by Piles -- 9/5/2008 9:36:39 PM >
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