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Forgetting Sarah Marshall - quick review
"Forgetting Sarah Marshall" is the tale of boy meets girl, they date, and years down the line, girl leaves boy, boy becomes despondently sad and lonely. Peter (Jason Segel) is the boy, Sarah (Kristen Bell) is the girl. Sarah is famous because she's an actress on a TV show, and Peter scores the background music for the show. After Sarah leaves Peter, he is distraught, and does what he can to forget Sarah, but finds himself in Hawaii to get away from it all, but as fate would have it, Sarah is there vacationing with the guy she is now dating, a British rock star. Things just keep getting worse for Peter, but Rachel (played by Mila Kunis, who is empathetic to Peter's situation, and works at the resort both Peter and Sarah find themselves at) becomes someone who helps Peter get some perspective over the end of his long-term relationship with Sarah.
Peter was a real mess of a character in the beginning and I feared he'd stay too one-note in his despair, but Jason Segel's screenplay is smart enough to get Peter out of his morose malaise by the middle act of the film, and the film is full of small and big laughs brought on by rejection, and jealousy and re-discovery of love and purpose. Not only do the principle cast do a good job with the material, but the supporting cast around the resort are pretty funny when they get their chance to shine. Also Jack McBrayer (Kenneth on 30 Rock) is pretty funny when he's on-screen. I think the pacing of the film is pretty good once the story gets us to Hawaii, the first act is still a touch too long, but it's a minor quibble.
Just be warned, there might be a little too much male nudity for some, but it usually used for comic effect, or to show the vulnerability of the character.
I give it 3.5 stars, or a grade of B+.
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