Apatow delivers...again...

Rating: 8/10 (1 December 2008)

I am no fan of typical romance movies. I am no fan of cheesy comedy movies. And I fully despise the traditional romantic comedy. Yet, the Judd Apatow company has succeeded for the third time (following the THE 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN and KNOCKED UP) in getting me to appreciate a romantic comedy. But let's be frank here: calling FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL a typical romantic comedy is doing it a great disservice. Apatow has specialised in merging the male raunchy comedy with the female romantic comedy to create something that is quite watchable, by all audiences.
The story is a rather good one, following the fortunes and misfortunes of a man trying to get over a break-up after a nearly 6 year relationship. While the story is pleasant overall, there are moments that feel rather cheesy, tacky, and over-done or superfluous. Surprisingly that does little to take away from the film. The acting is rather top-notch, as Jason Segel (who also helped pen the screenplay, and is a name to watch for in the future) does a brilliant job of portraying the 'lovable loser' protagonist. Mila Kunis was the standout for me, not only because she was easy on the eyes, but she demonstrated a comedic range and timing befitting of her character. Kirsten Bell is also quite good, as is Russell Brand, who infuses his own brand of humour into this vehicle. The supporting cast is also decent, and there are no discernible weak links. Kudos to Paul Rudd, who has to be one of the most dependable, yet under-appreciated comedic actors today.
The main selling point of this film is its humour. Where typical male comedies go to great lengths to be vulgar and derisive, FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL takes the higher, less disgusting, less raunchy road. That's not to say there's not much for guys to laugh at, as I found that this film was quite hilarious. The other big selling point was the romance, and Apatow made sure that the romantic elements in this movie felt real, and not overly cheesy. The balance between the romantic aspects and the raunchy aspects was almost perfect.
For the third time in a row, the Apatow gang has made me appreciate a 'romantic comedy'. If that's not genius, I don't know what is. 8/10. 3 stars. Will garner a spot on my 'Honourable Mentions' list. Recommended.