The Independent Student Newspaper of St. John's University

The Torch

The Independent Student Newspaper of St. John's University

The Torch

The Independent Student Newspaper of St. John's University

The Torch

Unforgettable

Months after those bewildering and mysterious advertisements popped up around the city, such as “My mother always hated you, Sarah Marshall,” and “You do look fat in those jeans, Sarah Marshall,” comes the long-awaited story on why exactly Sarah Marshall sucks so much. (This ad campaign also prompted all the innocently-named Sarah Marshalls in this country to question what they had done to receive this ridicule.)

“Forgetting Sarah Marshall” is a riotous comedy by the producers of “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” and “Knocked Up.” The plot, centered around a man’s search to find the meaning of life after his primetime hottie girlfriend of five years breaks up with him, is to some extent utterly relatable and worthy of our pathos, but let’s be honest: a break up has never been this funny.

Maybe this is due to the fact that when Sarah Marshall (Kristin Bell) visits Peter Bretter (Jason Segel) to break it off, he is very naked, and we get quick, barely second-long full-frontal cutaways of Segel. And it is precisely this cinematography which will cause you to howl with laughter as Sarah Marshall proceeds to rip out his heart and tear it into a million little pieces.

And then she tells him she’s found someone else. Ouch.
After trying to attain true stoicism through womanizing, drinking and crying his eyes out for hours, Peter decides to take a vacation and get away from the LA hustle and bustle.

Despite the urgings of his stepbrother Brian (Bill Hader), Peter’s destination is a favorite of Sarah’s: Oahu, Hawaii. And just as he gets there, he runs into – surprise! – Sarah Marshall, with her vapidly pretentious rock star boyfriend Aldous Snow (Russell Brand).

Peter, however, finds solace in his blossoming relationship with Rachel (Mila Kunis), the ridiculously hot and funny girl at the front desk. As Sarah witnesses Peter and Rachel grow closer, the doubts about her decision fester.

And then she finds out Aldous has herpes.

The colorful supporting cast of Apatow regulars Hader, Jonah Hill as a server/groupie hopeful and Paul Rudd as a surfing instructor, only adds to the ingenious comedy of this film, and they often pop up as brief buffers between the funny and sad moments.

The writing by Segel retains that signature Apatow humor, but is refreshing in the sense that vulgarity is at times nearly avoided. When Peter drags his brother to a club days after the breakup, Brian pleads “You don’t need to put your P in a V.” For an R-rated feature, it is unexpected, but the wittiness necessary for that avoidance is admirable. Better yet, all the clips in the trailer are just as funny during the full feature, but nothing compared to other giggle-into-the-next-scene moments.

Here is an ever so slightly romantic comedy that really works, because the laughs never stop coming. For whatever reason, few films have ever been able to attain that virtue, yet in “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” it seems effortless. Utterly relatable and hilarious, you won’t regret seeing it, and you certainly won’t forget it.

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