And so the first film that I did watch in 2011 was a film from 2008. Superb. Still, it all counts, don't it? Here's my review for Forgetting Sarah Marshall:
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
When actress Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell) dumps her long-term boyfriend Peter (Jason Segal), his world falls apart. Stuck in a horrible depression, he decides to go on vacation to Hawaii; unfortunately for him, Sarah also happens to be there with her new boyfriend, world famous rocker Aldous Snow (Russell Brand)...
After the surprisingly charming Knocked Up and the surprisingly gross-out Superbad, Forgetting Sarah Marshall is a nice mixture of the two for the Judd Apatow crowd. It has a good, solid script, though the tendency for improvisation does become a little too regular at times. It also looks beautiful, a perfect picture postcard for Hawaii.
If you have ever been dumped you can probably sympathise with Peter, played convincingly for the most part by Segal. However, at times the reliance on him being a bit of a cry baby does damage the character a little bit. What's nice, however, despite the initial finger of blame being pointed solely at Kristen Bell's Sarah, is that Peter too was at fault for the problems in the relationship. This makes the situation a lot more 3D and realistic.
The two stars of the show are undoubtedly Mila Kunis as Peter's new love interest, Rachel, and Brand as Snow. While Kunis underplays and conveys the character that she is needed to be, Brand is a force unleashed, though thankfully he isn't let too far off the lead. His Snow is a wonderfully stereotypical and, in the end, monstrously pig-headed rocker; in a sense, Brand is really playing himself. It was always going to be a success.
There is good supporting work from Jonah Hill and Paul Rudd as two dysfunctional hotel employees, though they do become a little annoying after a time. Bill Hader is much more successful as Peter's friend.
Towards the end of the film the story attempts to go into clichés, and though it ends on a really big one, the blow is softened by the previous five minutes; the puppet musical of Dracula is laugh-out-loud funny, entirely reminiscent of the wonderful Avenue Q in its brilliance and its audacity.
At times one could argue that the film doesn't really know which audience it's aiming for: frat boy or genuine rom-com lover? It is however a very decent effort, and should certainly not be forgotten in a hurry. We are waiting to hear about the movie rights to the Dracula Puppet Musical.
7/10
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