Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Forgetting Sarah Marshall continues Judd Apatow’s incredible streak of hilarious and touching R-rated comedies. While he may not be credited as the writer or director of this project, he did produce the film and it bears his distinct brand of lowbrow humour combined with surprising heart. The movie stars, and was written by, Jason Segal, whom Apatow has been struggling to get work for since his brilliant performance as the underachieving drummer on Freaks And Geeks. Segal stars as a hapless composer who writes the music for a terrible CSI knock-off and sleeps with the lead actress, Sarah Marshall. His life falls apart when Sarah dumps him and he attempts to escape via a vacation in Hawaii only to inadvertently end up booked in the same hotel as Marshall and her new rock star boyfriend (the incomparable Russell Brand). It’s a simple story about rejection and redemption enlivened by a script that is emotionally honest and consistently hilarious. Segal is fearless in a role that requires endless embarrassment and full frontal nudity. A stable of great comedic actors pop up in supporting roles, including SNL impression master Bill Hader, 30 Rock intern Jack McBrayer, as well as Team Apatow regulars Paul Rudd and Jonah Hill. All of the actors are hysterical but the real standout in the cast is Russell Brand. Brand has been a celebrity in Britain for years but has never had a chance to break through elsewhere. It is impossible to imagine a better introduction to his unique sense of humour, rooted in excessive style, pomposity and aggressive sexuality. Brand and director Nick Stoller are already working on a spin-off film for the character. The Forgetting Sarah Marshall DVD comes loaded with special features. Notable extras include a chatty but sadly Apatow-free commentary, numerous deleted and extended scenes, video diaries, outtakes, improv montages, a featurette on Russell Brand and a digital copy of the movie. All of the extras are consistently as funny as the underrated comedy itself. This quiet little movie is one of the best Apatow-approved films thus far and will hopefully launch a film career for the long underappreciated Jason Segal.