A Comedy That Does It's Job....Making You Laugh

Rating: 8/10 (20 April 2008)

I've read some critics complaining about the plot of the film but still agreeing that it's funny. Did I miss something here? Isn't that the point of a comedy? To laugh? If it did its job then it's good! Right? Well, I enjoyed it for all its silliness but even more so because it's easy to relate to. What's great is that none of the characters are card board cut-outs (clichés). As much as you would like to hate Sarah Marshall and her boyfriend there are moments where you sympathize or side with them, not because they're great people (you'll still side with the protagonist) but simply because you get them. You know where they're coming from and this adds a level of complexity missing from too many comedies who run with an overdone Hollywood formula and don't take any risks.
It's an interesting thing to have a particular type of comedy become known solely for its creators: "from the guys who brought you Superbad or Knocked Up or"...you get the point. It's almost like owning your own sub-genre and this wouldn't be very far fetched considering that the Apatow crowd do follow certain conventions that have become expected within their brand of comedy. For example dirty high school humor from guys who seem trapped between adolescence and adulthood but who, for the most part, are pretty decent people who just want to have fun without the complexities of old age. But those complexities always catch up to them and in the end they confront these problems as mature adults and become wiser for it. I bet most critics never thought of applying film theory to these films but there you have it.