Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)

Devastated Peter takes a Hawaii vacation in order to deal with recent break-up with his TV star girlfriend, Sarah. Little does he know Sarah's traveling to the same resort as her ex ... and she's bringing along her new boyfriend.

Director:

Nicholas Stoller

Writer:

Jason Segel

Stars:

Jason Segel, Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis

1 win & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jason Segel	...	Peter Bretter
Kristen Bell	...	Sarah Marshall
Mila Kunis	...	Rachel Jansen
Russell Brand	...	Aldous Snow
Bill Hader	...	Brian Bretter
Liz Cackowski	...	Liz Bretter
Maria Thayer	...	Wyoma
Jack McBrayer	...	Darald
Taylor Wily	...	Kemo
Da'Vone McDonald	...	Dwayne the Bartender
Steve Landesberg	...	Dr. Rosenbaum
Jonah Hill	...	Matthew the Waiter
Paul Rudd	...	Chuck
Kala Alexander	...	Greg
Kalani Robb	...	Helpful Hawaiian Waiter

Storyline

Peter is a composer and a likable sad sack who's devastated when his girlfriend of five years, Sarah Marshall, the star of a cheesy CSI-style crime show, dumps him. He weeps, he rails, he mopes. Finally, his step-brother Brian suggests Hawaii, so Peter heads for a resort on Oahu where, as he's checking in, he sees Sarah and her new beau, Aldous, a polymorphously perverse English rocker. The weeping and moping start again, until Peter is rescued by Rachel, a thoughtful hotel clerk who invites him to a luau and to hang out. Although he constantly runs into Sarah and Aldous, Peter starts to come alive again. Will Sarah realize what she's lost, and what about Rachel?

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Plot Keywords:

hawaii | hotel | resort | musician | composer | 

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Taglines:

When Peter got dumped by his girlfriend, he wanted to get as far away as possible. Apparently... so did she

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexual content, language and some graphic nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan] Universal [United Kingdom]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Hawaiian German Japanese

Release Date:

18 April 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Askzede

Filming Locations:

Hawaii, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£2,144,038 (UK) (25 April 2008)

Gross:

$62,877,175 (USA) (4 July 2008)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Apatow Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min 118 min (unrated)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

During the faux preview for "Animal Instincts", 'Kristen Bell''s partner is played by Jason Bateman. Bateman would later play Bell's husband in the movie Couples Retreat.

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Goofs

When Pete is talking to the buffet guy, the hostess towel disappears from his shoulder and then a few seconds later reappears again.

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Quotes

Aldous Snow: Look at my limo driver. I'm going to have sex with her. Alright!

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Crazy Credits

Shortly after the end credits start, there is an advertisement for Sarah Marshall's new NBC crime drama, "Animal Instincts" in which her costar is Jason Bateman.

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Connections

Referenced in The Rotten Tomatoes Show: The A-Team/The Karate Kid/Winter's Bone (2010)

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Soundtracks

"Agua de Beber"
Written by Antonio Carlos Jobim, Vinicius de Moraes
Performed by Astrud Gilberto
Courtesy of The Verve Music Group
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

Surprise Solid Comedy

I often go see advance screenings in my area, especially now that I must officially be on "the list" as I am constantly finding tickets in my work inbox. This was the second Apatow production I've seen in advance and just like "Superbad", this did not disappoint. At the same time, while many of the cast members may be recognizable, there seems to be something different about this installment than I've seen in the likes of "40 Year Old Virgin", "Superbad", or "Knocked Up".

For starters, there was a definite presence of the "TV actors on the big screen" theme here, but I am pleased to report that Jason Segel, Kristen Bell, and Mila Kunis take to movies like naturals. Like many Apatow productions, Segel penned the script and takes over as lead Peter Bretter, proving yet again that with this crew the writer is best suited for the leading role. Segel delivers a character we all know too well from our own personal experiences and never breaks role from the shocking beginning to appropriate ending. I even give Segel extra credit for not completely victimizing his character and pointing out apparent flaws on both ends of the ending relationship.

Kristen Bell plays Sarah Marshall, the iconic ex of the film, but her role sits on the back burner along with the truly hilarious Aldous Snow (Russell Brand) to make way for a leading role in Mila Kunis. From the beginning it is clear that her not-too-smart and shallow role of "That 70s Show" didn't follow her to "Forgetting"'s script. Kunis plays Racheal, a hospitality girl for the hotel that "Forgetting" takes place, and subsequently deals with Peter as he tries to get over Sarah Marshall. Her character is intelligent, charismatic, and appreciative of the good in people, a strong juxtaposition to the seemingly selfish starlet Sarah Marshall. Kunis owns the role with pride, even slipping in gestures and glances that didn't seem to initially be in the script. Hopefully this will open her up for more serious roles than "American Psycho 2" and the typecasting that often happens with TV actresses like her.

The star of the film, in my opinion, easily has to be Russell Brand, who plays the over-conscious over-sexed rock star Aldous Snow. Snow adds the necessary level of comedy that could have been missing from what is truly a tragic plot. About halfway in the film, I couldn't help but snicker to myself just with the presence that Brand creates (complete with perfect costume choices). The only downfall to a character who is truly the Mercutio of this tragedy is that Brand clearly overshadows Bell's performance as Sarah Marshall, who is ironically the most forgettable character of the film.

The writing flows with well-timed jokes, apathetic digs, and shocking vulgar humor. There is even a few moments where you feel Segel was digging on the cast with jokes involving crime dramas (Segel did time on "CSI") and TV actresses in horrible horror movies (Kunis did the atrocious "American Psycho 2"); not sure if it was intentional, but I caught what I thought was a reference. Just as with most Apatow productions, leave the kids at home. Unlike the rest, however, the crude humor doesn't overflow and turn off most audiences (like I noticed with "Superbad"). It also doesn't get very heavy in the least (which is what I felt hurt "Knocked Up"). I think Apatow has found a great balance with this production and Segel's script. I also want to give credit to Nicholas Stoller , who proved that he can be successful as a director after the hit he took from helping write "Fun with Dick and Jane".

All in all, this comedy is just another example of a good time for adults. It keeps a consistently flowing script, unlike many recent comedies that seem to lose pace as they close the story. While crude, the jokes are just light enough to appease most adult audiences and the short 100 minute run time will ensure you won't be glancing at your watch waiting for it to end, just laughing hysterically.