The Judd Apatow Factory Produces a Genial Though Meandering Break-Up Comedy

Rating: 6/10 (23 April 2008)

As the latest offering from the prolific Judd Apatow stable, this meandering but amusing 2008 comedy probably had one of the most irritating advertising campaigns ever for a wide release movie as cryptic billboards were posted everywhere with nasty diatribes written to the title character. Having enjoyed Apatow's "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" and "Knocked Up" a lot, I am starting to realize there is a bit more of a potluck feel when Apatow isn't in the director's chair. This time, first-time director Nicholas Stoller is at the helm working from a script written by the film's star, Jason Segel. Granted the comic premise is not as fresh here as in the earlier films, but it is entertaining in a ramshackle sort of way with some moments of surprising nuance. Segel plays Peter Bretter, a typical nice-guy type who writes the music (or more accurately, the sonic tones) of a network TV series that looks very much like "CSI". The show stars his hot-babe girlfriend Sarah, and they've been together for five years, an eternity at least by Hollywood standards.
The film wastes no time in setting up the central problem - Sarah abruptly dumps Peter for Brit rock star Aldous Snow, and through the plot's key contrivance, the three of them end up in the same resort in Hawaii. Naturally, Peter is devastated by the break-up, especially when he has to watch Sarah and Aldous in post-coital euphoria in a tropical honeymoon setting. Peter does find solace in the shapely form and understanding heart of Rachel Jansen, the hotel's front desk manager. All of this is fairly by-the-numbers and reminds me of the tropical shenanigans in the inferior remake of "The Heartbreak Kid", except Segel as a writer makes all the characters likable to varying degrees. Aldous, as played dexterously by comedian Russell Brand, is a hilarious comic creation, a sexed-up, non-sequitur-spouting cast-off from Spinal Tap. Even Sarah comes across less as a vicious harpy and more as someone who felt she tried to salvage the relationship (although obviously, interpersonal communication must not be one of her strong suits).
As Peter, Segel has a doughy, affable appeal though not particularly arresting for a main character. When he's not being teary-eyed over Sarah or just plain naked, he has a tendency to throw away lines in a casual manner rather than deliver them. Saddled with the toughest part, Kristen Bell ("Veronica Mars") acquits herself well enough as Sarah to make her character's fate more of a concern than one would expect. Late of "That 70's Show", the saucy Mila Kunis provides a down-to-earth sexiness to Rachel. Of course, several members of the Apatow repertory company are present and accounted for - Bill Hader as Peter's sarcastic brother, Jonah Hill as a waiter with a severe man-crush on Aldous (perhaps a tweak to his role in "Superbad"), and Paul Rudd as a stoned surfing instructor (Seth Rogen is conspicuously absent). Funny bits are also provided by Jack McBrayer (Kenneth on "30 Rock") as a petrified honeymooner and comic Steve Landesberg as a helpful pediatrician. As usual for an Apatow movie, the movie goes on for too long, and the scenes with the competing couples, while funny, play on the predictable side, as does the inevitable ending. It's all funny enough but just not as focused as I wish it could have been.