a personal encounter: funny, crude, yet tugs at the heart strings

Rating: 9/10 (18 October 2010)

This movie is a lot like Knocked Up or Zach and Mirri Make a Porno in that it can be funny, crude, yet also a little bit romantic. But IMHO it exceeded these two films by far.
I first watched this while I was going through a difficult period with my girlfriend at the time. I had never heard about the film until my friend mentioned it, and judging by the title alone I thought that it was a chick flick or something. But he assured me that it wasn't, popped in the DVD, and off we went.
This movie not only entertained the hell out of me but also brought me a great deal of catharsis. The focus of the movie is the painful and confusing period a person goes through following a breakup. A variety of characters and situations all served to help the main character resolve this pain in hilarious, honest ways.
I watched this the next day with my girlfriend at the time; i guess trying to express to her through film some of the feelings I had been going through. Apparently she didn't get it, and we broke up about six months later. I watched the film a third time a couple of months after that and got teary-eyed at a few parts, some of it because of laughter, some of it because of sadness.
Every character has a message: Russell Brand's character seems initially shallow, but then comes off as being stoic and honest; really telling it like it is and cutting through the BS; which is something I admire. His supporting role was hilarious and moving.
The surfer dude is all about blissful ignorance and living Buddhist; in the moment, Samadhi, whatever you wanna call it.
The bartender has a short piece of dialogue where he talks about how it was his dream to come to Hawaii, and now he can name over 400 fish. A lesson in not putting any boundaries on your dreams.
The newlywed couple represent young love and how difficult it can be, and how important it is to communicate honestly.
Sarah Marshall represents the insanity in trying to date an unhealthy person. One minute they will be crying in your arms telling you they want to make it work, the next they will be screwing someone else and then trying to make you feel guilty for it.
This movie hits very close to home for me, but even if it didn't I probably still would have still enjoyed it. Comedy for the sake of comedy can be entertaining (Happy Gilmore), but honest films like these are great. Perfect blend of comedy and honesty, which is hard to do (for an example of a failed honest comedy, watch Funny People).
I know this wasn't a very well-written review, and I don't give a crap. I just hope that if you're hurting like I was, you can watch this movie and gain some insight -- or at least a few laughs.