Sunday, April 20, 2008
A+E, Movies

The ‘Marshall’ plan

Romantic comedy long on laughs, but shortchanges women

Kristen Bell and Russell Brand “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”
CREDIT: Photos/Courtesy of Universal Pictures

“FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL”
Jason Segel, Kristen Bell
Directed by Nick Stoller
Rated R
Wide release

BY STEVE WARREN

What guy hasn’t gone to Hawaii to get over some girl who dumped him, only to find her staying at the same resort? That’s why Judd Apatow movies are so successful—everyone can relate to them.

Actually, Apatow (“The 40 Year Old Virgin,” Knocked Up”) merely produced “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”—he’s gone from writing and directing to sitting back in the producer’s chair and letting members of his repertory company take over, with mixed results. “Marshall” is more Jason Segel’s show—the “How I Met Your Mother” star wrote the script and stars as composer Peter Bretter, who’s somehow had the good fortune to be hooked up with Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell), star of TV’s “Crime Scene” (co-starring William Baldwin), for more than five years.

Although Peter doesn’t realize it, being arm candy for a diva has slowly emasculated him, and neither party is happy with what he’s turned into. Sarah finally calls it off, adding that she’s already found a replacement. A distraught Peter tries rebound sex, but cries on his partner’s shoulder afterward. His married stepbrother (Bill Hader) suggests, “Take a vacation. Go to the Alps.”

So Peter goes to Hawaii (no sense being cold as well as miserable). And, of course, Sarah shows up with her new boyfriend, British rocker Aldous Snow (Russell Brand), before Peter can even check in. Rachel (Mila Kunis), the beautiful desk clerk, takes pity on him and comps him a suite. It’s hard to tell how much of what she does afterward is motivated by pity, because Segel, as is typical of Apatow and his writers, doesn’t know much about women other than how they function sexually. They don’t know much about mature men either, except that some of their man-boy characters will eventually evolve into them.

There’s a lot of “Heartbreak Kid”-ding around along the way, as Peter gets closer to Rachel and Sarah finds reasons to wonder if she made the right choice.

And there are plenty of solid laughs (“Are those sad tissues or happy tissues?”)—although, perhaps to encourage repeat business or DVD sales, a lot of lines that follow those laughs are spoken very quietly, too many to be coincidental.

“Forgetting Sarah Marshall” ultimately boils down to little more than a feature-length, illustrated locker-room conversation (calling the main character Peter is an early indicator of the script’s phallocentricity). It doesn’t help that Segel isn’t exactly a sympathetic hero. Peter feels so sorry for himself he doesn’t need our sympathy, and his crying scenes are no more appealing than his nude scenes, which few viewers are likely to find sexy.

But Brand, a young Rupert Everett type, has fun parodying the rock and roll lifestyle; and Apatow regulars Jonah Hill and Paul Rudd score as, respectively, a fawning waiter and space-case surfing instructor. Of the film’s women, Kunis makes a stronger impression than Bell, even if her character takes a couple of strange detours; so Peter’s ultimate choice, if he has one, won’t be difficult. Bell (“Heroes,” “Veronica Mars”) is barely up to the limited demands of the script. But all that’s really needed is someone who can fill in the rough outline of a woman Segel has created. 2.5 STARS