'Forgetting Sarah Marshall' not to be forgotten
By Richard Nieva
Judd Apatow has done it again. And no, I don't mean that in the cheesy-sports-commentator-proclaiming-victory kind of way -- though "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" is victorious. The "it" I'm referring to is that yet again, Apatow makes us avid "Freaks and Geeks" fans wish the show ran for more than just one season.
Apatow, producer of the aforementioned NBC dramady, is also a producer on this one. And all of his films -- and television shows -- have a familiar sensibility: life milestones, awkward idiosyncrasies, sex, soft drugs here and there, and poignant life lessons.
Oh, and the same cast of actors over and over again, with a few he's picked up along the way.
And while this may just seem like the work of a lazy casting director -- or pure nepotism -- this familiarity is the charm of an Apatow production. Jason Segel, who penned the script, is the only original "Freak" in this one, but Jonah Hill, starring as a resort waiter, Bill Hader as the step-brother-turned-grief-counselor and Paul Rudd as a stoner surf instructor give it the Apatow seal.
New to the family are Kristen Bell as the infamous Sarah Marshall; Mila Kunis as Rachel, the beautiful front desk receptionist; and Russell Brand as Aldous Snow, the promiscuous English rock star and Sarah's current flame.
But lucky for us, there is life after "Freaks and Geeks." Segel -- best known as Lindsay Weir's goofy Zeppelin-phile boyfriend Nick Andopolis on "Freaks" -- plays Peter Bretter here, a hilariously pathetic TV composer whose life has become a routine of watching Hollywood gossip shows while eating cereal from a mixing bowl.
And that's just it. Segel probably had an affinity for his "Freaks" role because it's almost as if this movie is about the same character, just years later, in an updated reprisal.
After being dumped by his television star girlfriend, Peter takes a spontaneous trip to Hawaii to, well, forget Sarah Marshall -- only to find out he's staying at the same resort as her and her new love interest, Aldous Snow. Peter also begins to find love in paradise after meeting Rachel while checking in to the resort.
The script, Segel's first screenwriting endeavor -- is paced slow and leisurely, like vacation island life itself. And this is where his script shines: in the impeccable timing delivered skillfully by a talented ensemble.
The film wraps you up in its world so quietly that the characters' pettiness and vulnerability become not only tolerable, but endearing.
After exchanging some words, Peter and Aldous -- who gives a breakout performance -- get in a splash fight while wading on surfboards.
It provides an absurd laugh-out-loud moment, but you feel as though it is the most natural reaction in the world.
Of course Segel's script is not as dramatically refined as one of his mentor Apatow's, but the longevity is there. Plot-wise, it doesn't pull on the heartstrings as much as "Knocked Up" does.
But the English literature student in all of us will inevitably try to find thematic resonance in it. For example: the vulnerability of getting dumped while completely naked -- which the film boldly, repeatedly shows. Here's the simpler conclusion: This actually happened to Segel, and he just found it funny.
And like all Apatow-produced flicks, the plot arc is deceptively clear. The movie always plays out as it logically should, and you feel as useless and lost as the characters for being too cynical to see it coming.
But then you realize you'll get it next time. Maybe the next Apatow production will show us something else in a quirky manner, like the meaning of life or something.
Grade: A-
Contact Richard Nieva at (408) 551-1918 or rnieva@scu.edu.