All of the heart of typical Apatow fare at the expense of memorable laughs

Rating: 7/10 (16 March 2009)

While the melding of genuine human interplay, romantic comedy tropes and obnoxious male directed humour has seldom proved an easy course to navigate, with many such efforts leaning too strongly on one aspect at the risk of compromising the others, recent comedy superstar Judd Apatow proved particularly deft at manoeuvring the balance between them. Striking a particular chord of vulgar, bawdy humour and sweet sentiment, the unusual balance has recently become almost a subgenre in itself, permeating the recent comedy mainstream. As such, Forgetting Sarah Marshall (which Apatow produced) aims to keep a good thing going, striving for the same unique hybrid which past hits such as Knocked Up and Superbad championed. However, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, try as it might, cannot help but pale in the shadow of its predecessors, offering all of the heart of typical Apatow fare at the expense of exceptional laughs.
Which is not to say the film has nothing to offer comedically, but rather than the memorable factor of it is essentially reduced to two bookending setpieces: the much hyped naked break-up which proves the catalyst setting the plot in motion, and an inspired climax far too good to give away but which proves the indisputable high point of the film. It is the content in the middle which lags, with well intentioned gags such as mopey protagonist Peter (Segel) attempting to overcome his sorrows post break-up through a series of one night stands (though an exceptionally funny montage sequence proves a standout), and eventually fleeing to Hawaii only to find his celebrity ex-girlfriend (Bell) also vacationing there with her new beau (Brand). While the premise offers a tantalising wealth of comedic potential, the execution is less satisfying, with many gags being overly drawn out or overdone to the point of the comedy waning, despite the occasional standout laugh.
It hardly helps when the film becomes drenched in sentiment and a groan-worthy moral of striving for one's dreams being battered over the audiences' collective heads and falls prey to the typical Apatow pitfall of feeling 10-20 minutes overlong. Similarly, director Nicholas Stoller never appears to have an entirely firm grasp of how to treat his protagonist, both at times milking pathos and viewer sympathies from Peter's predicament while otherwise portraying him as weak and pathetic and extracting cruel laughs from his moping, making it more difficult to empathise with the protagonist. Granted, such a dualistic approach does accurately convey the mix of of sympathy and annoyance towards those struggling after a break-up, but a more balanced and cohesive portrayal would have made empathy with the protagonist all the more possible and appealing. However, such a double-edged complaint also mirrors one of the film's foremost strength: the authenticity and credibility of its human interactions. Scripted by star Jason Segel, the characters and their interaction with one another ring laudably true, making the film easily a sufficiently charming and amusing way to spend the time, if not as riotously funny as it feels it should be.
One of the later performers to join the pantheon of "flawed, schlubbish yet earnestly lovable" Apatow heroes, Jason Segel easily exudes easily enough charm to carry the occasionally shaky film, delivering a performance which feels both honest and irreverently silly enough to easily justify his upgrading to leading man. Mila Kunis similarly boasts a unique charm which manages to encompass being both abrasive and tender, making the romantic tension between her and Segel all the more fresh and enticing. Kristen Bell, despite struggling with an underwritten character as Peter's actress ex-girlfriend manages to bring a refreshing honesty to her performance, thankfully defying an easy stereotype to fall into. Similarly, Russell Brant raises several laughs as her spacey, pretentious new age rocker boyfriend, an essential spark of vibrant comedic life which always serves to benefit the picture. The same goes for Apatow stalwarts Jonah Hill and Paul Rudd, both making hilarious use of minuscule supporting parts as an obsessive waiter and brain-dead surfing instructor respectively.
Occasionally clunky and overly syrupy, Forgetting Sarah Marshall remains sweet and likable enough throughout to make it worth its while, though it suffers by comparison to its superior Apatow production predecessors. Nonetheless, what it lacks in belly laughs, the film makes up for in heart, making it an enjoyable if slightly forgetful film worth seeing for any fans of the genre.
-6.5/10