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Posts with tag nicholas stoller

Apatow and Stoller Reteam for 'Sarah Marshall' Follow-Up!

Filed under: Comedy », Casting », Deals »

Oh man -- I watched Forgetting Sarah Marshall again over the weekend (I first saw it at SXSW back in March) and the laughs held up beautifully; it really is a comic treasure, even if it does suffer a bit from the typical Apatow bloat. So this is great news for me: director Nicholas Stoller is reteaming with Judd Apatow for Get Him to the Greek, a comedy starring Sarah Marshall's Jonah Hill and Russell Brand. Hill will play a young insurance adjuster assigned to get a wild rock star (Brand) from London to LA's Greek Theater for a gig. I don't dispense headline exclamation points willy-nilly, so you know I'm excited.

The idea was apparently hatched at a Sarah Marshall table read, where Hill and Brand exhibited a surprising chemistry. They only had a few scenes together in that film, and since I thought Hill's character was generally a weak spot, I spent most of those scenes being mildly annoyed. But I've seen Superbad, so I know that Hill has the funny, and Brand, whom I had never heard of before Sarah Marshall, has some of the movie's biggest laughs. So: more, please.

Stoller will write Get Him to the Greek in addition to getting back in the director's chair. He has some other projects in the works, including Five Year Engagement, which he will direct and co-write with Jason Segel. He's also working with Segel on his planned Muppet movie. And he co-wrote the screenplay for Jim Carrey's Yes Man, due in December. Busy guy; lucky, too.

Review: Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Filed under: Comedy », Romance », New Releases », Theatrical Reviews », New in Theaters »



Most conversations about Forgetting Sarah Marshall -- the new Judd Apatow-produced comedy about a devastating breakup -- are going to start with the penis shot. Sure, there have been willies in the movies before -- hell, there have been dongs in Apatow productions before (see Walk Hard). But a johnson this prominently featured, and in a mainstream romantic comedy? It breaks new ground. And not only is it funny, it's the perfect visual representation of what a guy goes through when he gets dumped. The film's star, Jason Segel, is stripped bare literally and figuratively -- exposed, embarrassed, emasculated. It's a comedy moment for the history books. I just wish I could say the rest of the film is as bold, as brave, as ... ballsy as that penis.

Oh, don't get me wrong. Sarah Marshall is a very funny movie. But its faults -- its sagginess, its tendency to let improvisation roll past the point of laughter, its relationships that often don't ring true -- are what separate this Judd Apatow production from a Judd Apatow film.

Interview with Nicholas Stoller, Director of 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall'

Filed under: Comedy », Romance », New Releases », Scripts », New in Theaters », Interviews »



Forgetting Sarah Marshall finds Jason Segel vacationing in Hawaii to forget the girl (Kristen Bell) who just dumped him. Alas, she's at the same resort with her new beau! It's the latest comedy from the Apatow camp, and it hits theaters this weekend. Cinematical spoke one-on-one with the film's director, Nicholas Stoller, regarding the movie, his upcoming Muppet project, and how much onscreen penis is too much onscreen penis.

Cinematical: Is it intimidating for you knowing that every movie associated with Apatow these days is such a comedy event? Does that put pressure on you as the director to live up to that standard?

Nicholas Stoller: Not really, I'm still excited I got to make a movie, so I'm not really thinking in terms of if it's going to be a big event. Our movie was cheap so we don't have to make up that much money. It amuses me, and I hope that it amuses more people.

Cinematical: It amused me, so there's one extra person anyway.

NS: We have you and me and we just need 30 million more Americans.

First Trailer for Judd Apatow's 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall'

Filed under: Comedy », Romance », Fandom », DIY/Filmmaking », Movie Marketing », Trailers and Clips »


Access Hollywood premiered the first trailer for the next Judd Apatow-produced comedy, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and while it doesn't quite look like an Apatow film right now (with the exception of his regulars all showing up), remember that this is the made-for-TV trailer that probably can't include the film's greatest bits. This time Jason Segel (who wrote the script) is in the lead, and he plays a guy who's having one heckuva hard time forgetting his ex-girlfriend, Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell). When he's advised to take a trip to Hawaii to help mend his open wounds, he accidentally winds up staying at the same hotel as Sarah and her new wacked-out celebrity boyfriend.

Based on the trailer, it looks to be Apatow's most cookie-cutter of all his films, but like I said before, they'll come out with a red-band trailer and this will look like a completely different movie. Regardless, you still have performances from the reliable Jonah Hill, Paul Rudd, Bill Hader and adorable Mila Kunis -- not to mention the flick is directed by Nicholas Stoller (Undeclared) -- so hopes are still pretty high. Forgetting Sarah Marshall arrives in theaters on May 30, and you can watch the trailer above. Let us know what you think.

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