An Apatow-shaped hole in the writing credits - and it shows!

Rating: 5/10 (11 April 2009)

Another entry into the canon of work from Judd Apatow, but the 40-year-old Virgin or Knocked Up this is not.
The presence of Russell Brand merely on the poster would be enough to put most people off seeing this film were it not for the additional presence of the name of Apatow underneath, but it seems that even his magic has gotten waylaid here. The film's premise has mild potential as it sees Jason Segel's Peter Bretter getting dumped by his TV star girlfriend and jetting off to Hawaii to get over her, only to find she is staying at the same hotel with her new boyfriend (Brand). However, what follows is a by-the-numbers plot line that is straight out of the standard Hollywood Rom-com scriptbook. There is little of the originality that made The 40-year-old Virgin such a break-out hit.
Jason Segel is barely a poor man's Steve Carrell or even Seth Rogen, with little of the hangdog likability that either of those had in abundance – to the extent where you wonder what Kristin Bell's Sarah Marshall of the title (herself little more than an identikit blonde) ever saw in him in the first place. Russell Brand is his usual obnoxious self whilst Mila Kunis plays the standard model new girl in Peter's life, but she at least manages to breathe some charm into an otherwise two-dimensional role. Apatow merely produced this film, and the lack of his name in the writing credits has clearly harmed this comedy.
The humour is less painfully funny and more just painful for large parts, while any time that Brand is on the screen is outright nauseating. The story plods along going in no direction in particular, seeming content to just meander and enjoy the beautiful scenery of Hawaii, which the entire film feels like an extended advert for the holiday island. There are one or two mildly amusing scenes, generally involving Kunis, but do not expect this to live up to Knocked Up or Superbad; its pales in comparison. Perhaps Apatow has become a victim of his own success, as expectations are very high now, and this certainly did not live up to them. Had expectations not been so high, then possibly the beautiful backdrop of Hawaii and Kunis's charm might have made this film somewhat watchable.