"Forgetting Sarah Marshall" is a film that easily could have been a run-of-the-mill romantic comedy but instead aims for something better. It doesn't have much to do with Jason Segel's much talked about nude scene (but it's pathetic nature gives it an oddly effective touch); while the sense of humor is at times a bit over the top, and while many of the side characters remain undeveloped, its heart is basically in the right place the entire time. This is an interesting twist because the story begins with Segel's character suffering from a broken heart and ends with the pieces struggling to fit back into place. I can't say that I understand everything he's feeling, since love is a game I play so infrequently--what I can say is that, even though I didn't understand him, I still rooted for him from beginning to end. He has a vulnerable charm, like a wounded animal you're inclined to nurse back to health.

The story begins with TV star Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell) breaking up with her long time boyfriend, composer Peter Bretter (Segel). He takes rejection as badly as you'd expect him to; for days on end he cries at the drop of a hat, tormented by the endless reminders of her scattered all over his house. He tries to alleviate his pain with a slew of one-night stands, all of which go nowhere. At a certain point, Peter's stepbrother, Brian (Bill Hader), convinces him that he needs to take a vacation, and where better to go than Hawaii? Peter reluctantly agrees. But as soon as he arrives, his peace of mind is immediately disturbed: Sarah is also vacationing in Hawaii, and she's staying in the same hotel. Worse yet, she's there with her new boyfriend, the English rock singer Aldous Snow (Russell Brand). To cut him some slack, the hotel clerk, Rachel Jansen (Mila Kunis), offers to let Peter stay in the hotel's most expensive suite. Of course, he'll have to clean up after himself since he's not an official guest.

A friendship soon develops, one we know will lead to something more serious. Initially, Peter is more interested in brooding over his failed relationship--he drinks cocktails every day, and he continues to cry at the drop of a hat. It doesn't help that he and Sarah constantly bump into each other, and it's always awkward because Aldous is much more inclined to be social. One wonders what she sees in Aldous, anyway; he may look like a model, but he also thinks and behaves like the selfish pop icon he is, flaunting his sexual prowess openly and often.

Peter and Rachel, meanwhile, grow closer together. We eventually learn that Rachel followed her ex-boyfriend to Hawaii, leaving friends, family, and school behind her. We also learn that Peter has been writing a musical based on Dracula; if actually performed, it would feature puppets instead of actors. We get a taste of his work at a local dive, where he plays a piece on a dare from Rachel. As he sings in a Transylvanian accent, we're torn; his performance is overwrought and silly, yet he's obviously giving it his all. If he were a real person, we wouldn't know whether to let him down easy or to encourage him further. Rachel seems just as torn, since she knows a thing or two about ambition and broken dreams. Her love life has been just as disastrous as Peter's, maybe even more so: Should she pursue a relationship with him knowing she might end up hurting all over again? Should Peter do the same?

There's a point at which all four main characters find themselves on a double date, one that's simultaneously funny and thick with tension. Peter, Sarah, and Rachel down glass after glass of wine, so by the end of the night, their tongues are dangerously loose. Aldous maintains his sobriety while not doing a thing about his arrogance; this puts Sarah at odds with him as well as with Rachel, who's rapidly losing her prim image as a hotel employee. Their pent up emotions burst out after dinner, when both couples go back to their rooms and compete for having the loudest sex. What makes this scene funnier is that, at this point in the story, Peter has been moved to a room directly next to Sarah's. Is this plot point clever or contrived? You'd think it would fall under the latter category, but it's difficult to say since the scene works so well.

What doesn't work so well are the series of side characters that add little to the main story. Peter occasionally speaks to a newlywed husband named Darald (Jack McBrayer) who's terrified of having sex with his eager wife, Wyoma (Maria Thayer). Peter also socializes with a bartender (Da'Vone McDonald) and a luau waiter (Kalani Robb), both of whom exist purely as an excuse for funny dialogue. Paul Rudd has a very small part as a surf instructor named Chuck, a man whose brain is just as sun-baked as his skin. All of these characters work in and of themselves, but they don't really contribute anything significant, other than more comedy. It seems to me that the basic story between Peter, Rachel, Sarah, and Aldous is funny enough. But I'm really just nitpicking--there's more than enough here to keep an audience entertained. "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" is, quite simply, a fun film. It's also touching at times, which is good since most romantic comedies drown themselves in a flood of jokiness and predictable patterns. This movie is funny, but it's also substantive, a combination you don't see too often anymore.

- Chris Pandolfi

 

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