Cinematical

Despite an excellent review showing on Rotten Tomatoes, some people forgot about Forgetting Sarah Marshall. As Matt Bradshaw notes in his Box Office column, the comedy came in second to The Forbidden Kingdom, bringing in just $17.3 million. Steve Mason says we might be suffering from "Judd Apatow fatigue." Whether that's the case or not, it's a shame.

While I tried to fight off my high expectations for the film to save myself from potential disappointment, I failed. I was ridiculously eager to see the film, so I grabbed my friend and ran to watch it on Friday night. Luckily, I didn't need to quash the anxiety. We both laughed hysterically and loved it. In fact, I enjoyed it more than both Knocked Up and Superbad.

If you don't agree, fair enough, but for those who might be apprehensive about going out to see the comedy, I want to give you a few reasons why you should give it a chance. Head after the jump for 5 reasons to see Forgetting Sarah Marshall.

1. There are no radical personality changes.

Instead of giving us a funny but one-dimensional character who radically changes their viewpoint and life by the end of the film, Jason Segel gives us real characters who have both good and bad qualities that stay with them from beginning to end. Sure, there's some distinct changes in attitude or action, but it's more of a getting out of a funk scenario than a full-scale attitude change.

From the first scenes, it's inevitable that Segal's Peter Bretter will have to change his increasingly slacker lifestyle, but it's also apparent that this isn't all of who he is. He's a talented guy in a super-deep slump. While he grows throughout the film as he deals with his breakup and finds new romance, the basic personality of his character does not change. He just stops being lazy and feeling sorry for himself.

*Note: That being said, there is one scene with Mila Kunis on the beach that seems utterly stereotypical, cliche, and out of character, but since it's really brief, it's forgivable.

2. The script doesn't rely on a crappy explanation to create drama.

One of my biggest pet peeves in film is when a character explains an awkward situation or discretion in a way that makes it sound monumentally worse than it actually was. The other person flips out, and you're left wondering why they didn't just tell the plain truth, rather than being vague, mysterious, and misleading.

Without giving anything away, there's a moment in the film where Peter tries to be honest about an indiscretion. As it began, I braced myself for the inevitable explanation that would make the matter much worse than it actually was. But then he just explained things with complete honesty. Yes, the truth still bites him in the ass, but it does so honestly, and in a way that is suitable for the story, rather than lazy storytelling that creates drama where there is none.

3. There are good and bad aspects of everyone involved.

There are no real heroes or villains in this film. This is one of the few comedies I have seen where I can personally believe in the characters and their actions. Peter is the dumped, emotional hero, but there are solid reasons why he was dumped. Kristin Bell's Sarah does some pretty crappy things, but there are reasons behind her actions. Russell* Brand's Aldous Snow is a goofy, saucy superstar who loves raunchy romps with women, but he's also a likable guy who makes some understandable points.

4. Coincidences rarely become completely unbelievable.

I am sure this is where many people will disagree with me. Some complaints about the film (like the ones outlined in Patrick Walsh's review) state that there is too many unbelievable coincidences, but I found them to be much more believable than many romcoms.

For example, yes, Peter ends up at the same resort as Sarah, which is a coincidence. However, it's not like they both wind up at a hotel in Africa that neither of them had ever heard of or talked about. Peter decides to get away, and since he has Sarah on the mind so much, he chooses her favorite Hawaii getaway. Yes, it's coincidental that they are there at the same time, but it's not a huge jump in believability. I've experienced much bigger coincidences in my own life.

5. Jason Segel gives an added reason why guy geeks are super hot these days.

Yes, this is my tongue-in-cheek fifth reason, because I wanted to round out the list. Geek men are all the rage these days, and while Segel is not some super-hot superstar, what he's packing is enough to make the funny geek allure towards some men even more understandable. There's a reason he's comfortable nude.

*Edited, thanks to vampireheart.