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- First reviewApril 21, 2008
- Last reviewApril 21, 2008
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Spasticclown's Reviews
Overall rating
4
/
5
Not Easily Forgotten
PostedApril 21, 2008
Spasticclown
from Southern California
After getting dumped by his TV star girlfriend, the aforementioned Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell), composer Peter Bretter (Jason Segel) takes the advice of his hilarious step-brother Brian (Bill Hader) and goes on a vacation to Hawaii, where he inadvertently runs into his ex-girlfriend and her new lover, a flamboyant if not complete insane and sociopathic rock-star Aldous Snow (Russell Brand). With the assistance of the hotels hostess, Rachel Jansen (Mila Kunis) Peter clumsily tries to get his life back in order, and hilarity ensues.
Already being a huge fan of movies like the 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked-Up and Superbad, I was more than ready to watch (and laugh and laugh) at Sarah Marshall, funny thing is for the first ten to twenty minutes that laughs were pretty scarce. But realizing that this movie was in upward of two hours I stuck with it and wasn’t disappointed. Fair enough FSM didn’t provide me with the straight out uncontrollable belly laughs that was the standard with other Judd Apatow fare, but it had the important elements in it that made it as memorable. It doesn’t lack the painfully awkward situations but doesn’t take them over the top, like the sin committed by so many Ben Stiller films. Instead it dances around the line, at one time making you laugh out loud and at other times making you cringe and squirm in your seat when you see a character take an action that you realize is all together wrong but also very human. In fact at one time the entire audience let out a collective groan when Peter falls for a trap so many guys fall for when their ex’s…well wouldn’t want to spoil it for you. What that groan conveyed to me was that the audience was fervently involved in the movie and we were no longer just watching a movie that was “brought to you by the same guys that did – take your pick” instead we were actually viewing these characters for who they were on the screen.
What was even more impressive to me were the risks that the actors were willing to take to make this story plausible and relatable. Kristen Bell and Mila Kunis both bared their fair share of nudeness, not a means for the guys in the audience to ogle their parts but as a way to reinforce that what we were watching could honestly happen. And Segel’s very large contribution (I mean that act NOT the size of…oh nevermind) of being shown completely in the buff for extended periods of time demonstrated that he was committed to this film and really ready to take chances that would make the audience laugh, which they did MANY times.
But it wasn’t just the main stars of this film that made it worth the nearly two hours that I spent watching it. Peter’s step-brother, played brilliantly by Bill Hader is at the top of his game providing us with a constant barrage of razor sharp wit that makes us laugh but at the same time blush because as anybody who has been dumped has heard what come out of his mouth before. And it still a mystery to me that they were able to make this movie at all with Russell Brand on the set. His ability to make the audience belt out huge bolts of laughter just with a slight phrase or glance must have given the cast and crew fits when they had to keep their mouths shut during a take.
Overall if your willing to stick it out and realize that you’re not only watching a comedy “from the same guys that brought you…” that you’re also watching a romantic comedy (and on a personal note, one that hits really close to home for me) you will appreciate this films to be at one times poignant and subtle and at other times be flat out gross and funny. And it is well worth the money to sit in the dark with a couple dozen strangers and laugh together…and cringe together.
Already being a huge fan of movies like the 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked-Up and Superbad, I was more than ready to watch (and laugh and laugh) at Sarah Marshall, funny thing is for the first ten to twenty minutes that laughs were pretty scarce. But realizing that this movie was in upward of two hours I stuck with it and wasn’t disappointed. Fair enough FSM didn’t provide me with the straight out uncontrollable belly laughs that was the standard with other Judd Apatow fare, but it had the important elements in it that made it as memorable. It doesn’t lack the painfully awkward situations but doesn’t take them over the top, like the sin committed by so many Ben Stiller films. Instead it dances around the line, at one time making you laugh out loud and at other times making you cringe and squirm in your seat when you see a character take an action that you realize is all together wrong but also very human. In fact at one time the entire audience let out a collective groan when Peter falls for a trap so many guys fall for when their ex’s…well wouldn’t want to spoil it for you. What that groan conveyed to me was that the audience was fervently involved in the movie and we were no longer just watching a movie that was “brought to you by the same guys that did – take your pick” instead we were actually viewing these characters for who they were on the screen.
What was even more impressive to me were the risks that the actors were willing to take to make this story plausible and relatable. Kristen Bell and Mila Kunis both bared their fair share of nudeness, not a means for the guys in the audience to ogle their parts but as a way to reinforce that what we were watching could honestly happen. And Segel’s very large contribution (I mean that act NOT the size of…oh nevermind) of being shown completely in the buff for extended periods of time demonstrated that he was committed to this film and really ready to take chances that would make the audience laugh, which they did MANY times.
But it wasn’t just the main stars of this film that made it worth the nearly two hours that I spent watching it. Peter’s step-brother, played brilliantly by Bill Hader is at the top of his game providing us with a constant barrage of razor sharp wit that makes us laugh but at the same time blush because as anybody who has been dumped has heard what come out of his mouth before. And it still a mystery to me that they were able to make this movie at all with Russell Brand on the set. His ability to make the audience belt out huge bolts of laughter just with a slight phrase or glance must have given the cast and crew fits when they had to keep their mouths shut during a take.
Overall if your willing to stick it out and realize that you’re not only watching a comedy “from the same guys that brought you…” that you’re also watching a romantic comedy (and on a personal note, one that hits really close to home for me) you will appreciate this films to be at one times poignant and subtle and at other times be flat out gross and funny. And it is well worth the money to sit in the dark with a couple dozen strangers and laugh together…and cringe together.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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