An overlooked sweet & raunchy comedy

Rating: Null/10 (7 March 2010)

**A WORD OF WARNING: This film features brief but full-on frontal male nudity of the star actor (Jason Segel). The scenes are short and don't spoil an otherwise good movie, but viewers should be warned up front to avoid any possible movie night embarrassment. (It is a rated-R comedy, remember.)**
The movie is about a man (Jason Segel, also the writer) wallowing around in self-pity after being dumped by his girlfriend of five years, who happens to be a famous TV star. To clear his mind the man treats himself to a Hawaiian vacation, but runs into his ex-girlfriend (Kristen Bell) with another man (Russell Brand). Unlikely as it may seem, the film takes an uplifting turn in the second half. The man learns to stop feeling sorry for himself and move on with his life. I'd say that FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL is a great film about breakups, as it shows how depressing they can be, but leaves the viewer with a sense that people can pick up the pieces of their lives and get back on track.
I think this film is overlooked when it comes to recent comedy hits. Everybody loves THE 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN, KNOCKED UP, SUPERBAD, and THE HANGOVER, but SARAH MARSHALL seems to be forgotten in a sort of second-tier of also-rans. I think this movie is plenty funny (and plenty raunchy, if that's what you're looking for), with a lot of heart and soul. I think the taboo of frontal male nudity probably scared some people away, but looking past these brief sight gags the movie is a winner in my book.
I also think that people don't appreciate how great this film is on a couple different levels. The character of Aldous Snow (Brand) is a world-famous singer and the film includes two of his original songs. It's really worth checking out the full music video for "We've Got To Do Something" on the DVD. The film itself only shows snippets and they can't do the song justice. The whole thing is hilarious, both the lyrics and the accompanying video. Also, Jason Segel's character in the movie stages a Dracula-themed puppet musical. The concept for such a musical was an actual idea Segel had in his mind for years. The songs are all original, the puppets were created for the film by the Jim Henson Company, and some actors actually get to do some puppeteering. The hit TV show that stars Sarah Marshall is a over-the-top parody of shows like "CSI" or "Law & Order", with Billy Baldwin providing terrible and inappropriate one-liners.
A lot of effort had to go into these songs/shows-within-a-show, and I feel that the creativity goes under-appreciated. The film is funny at the surface, but it's even more impressive upon further consideration.
Russell Brand is great at delivering hilariously constructed bits of dialogue, and his performance here is a minor revelation to viewers unfamiliar with the British comedian. The cast also includes many Judd Apatow regulars, notably Paul Rudd, Jonah Hill, and Bill Hader. Rudd's supporting role has some great moments. Some less-famous actors stand out in supporting roles as staff at the Hawaiian resort. The whole ensemble (which include's Mila Kunis and "30 Rock"'s Jack McBrayer) is pretty solid.
FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL is full of depictions of and references to sexual intercourse and features quite a bit of profanity as well as brief nudity. It is rated R for a reason. But it's one of those "raunchy comedies with a heart", produced by Judd Apatow. Much of the humor is sex-related and/or vulgar and, as one would expect, the film features trademark Apatovian improvisation.
It's a lot of fun, from the endearing characters to the comedic performances to the charming Dracula puppets. Shot on location, the film really captures what I'd like to believe is the feel of a Hawaiian vacation, with the sun always shining and the blue ocean in the background.
The movie didn't impress me at first, but it had grown on me by the time it ended. There's plenty of funny R-rated comedy, but the uplifting spirit of the film is what really won me over. This film makes me feel good.