Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)

[Movie 263 / Day 280]

Peter Bretter (Jason Segel) writes music for a hit TV show and has been dating the show’s star, Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell) for 5 years. Then she comes home from a trip and breaks up with him. He’s absolutely gutted and, after several one-night-stands fail to satisfy him, heads off to Hawaii for a change of scenery and to get Sarah Marshall out of his head. Unfortunately, as he checks into the hotel, he realises that Sarah is also on a break in Hawaii and, shockingly, is staying in the same hotel. With her new boyfriend, popstar Aldous Snow (Russell Brand). The hotel’s receptionist, Rachel (Mila Kunis) takes pity on Peter and arranges for him to stay in the best suite in the hotel as well as hanging out with him.

Peter falls for Rachel and goes on a couple of dates with her, including a double-date with Sarah and Aldous. Which is when Sarah becomes jealous and tries to get Peter back.

There are almost no surprises in the plot, everything is pretty obvious, right down to the schmaltzy happy ending. The biggest surprise in it for me was that Russell Brand didn’t annoy the crap out of me as I was half expecting – in fact, his character was one of the funniest things in it. Amazingly, for a romcom, the laughs are very few and far between. That’s not to say it’s not an amusing film, or enjoyable; it’s just not laugh out loud funny. Like the plot, the acting is generally OK but nothing special. The film is helped along by the beautiful Hawaiian scenery and the beautiful leading ladies, however – both looked great in HD.

There were also small parts for Judd Apatow regulars Jonah Hill (who plays a waiter that’s smitten with Aldous Snow) and Paul Rudd (a perma-stoned surf instructor). Neither of them get much screen time though, more’s the pity.

It’s worth watching if you can’t watch I Love You, Man.

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