Love You Madly

Jason Segel's turn to star in the latest film from the Apatow camp:

Forgetting Sarah Marshall:

I was obviously predisposed to like this film. It stars and was written by Jason Segel from Freeks and Geeks. Kristen Bell from Veronica Mars is the female lead. There's a few of the Apatow regulars (Paul Rudd, Bill Hader and Jonah Hill). Plus it's just got that same sense of humor that I always enjoy. But the subject matter hit home more than I thought it would. I could really empathize with the main character. Probably too much. It made the film hit me on more than just a comic level. It's a very good film. And I quite liked it.

The scoring:

Writing:
The main characters are fairly well developed. The plot is simple without being simplistic. Some of the jokes are pretty bad, but the dialogue is very good. 0.9/1

Directing:
Nick Stoller does pretty good work in his directorial debut. It's well paced. The visual style is interesting without being too flashy. Solid work. 0.9/1

Acting:
Segel is very good in the lead role. He shows that he can carry a film. Kristen Bell did a good job as the female lead. It's a hard part, she doesn't get many comic moments. Mila Kunis is great here. Best work I've ever seen from her. The supporting cast is generally very good. I actually didn't like Paul Rudd's character very much, but I'm not sure that it was his performance. Russell Brand is completely insane. Hilarious. 0.9/1

Technical:
The location shooting in Hawaii is beautiful. The production design was very good, especially for the puppets in the Dracula musical. 0.75/1

History:
Could be a breakout performance for Jason Segel. 0.4/1

Entertainment:
It held my interest throughout the entire film. Very entertaining. 0.95/1

Misc.:
0.2 for the Dracula musical. 0.1 for the Hawaiian versions of songs like, "Everybody hurts." 0.1 for the dinner where they all go out. 0.1 for the fake TV shows that Sarah Marshall starred in.

Overall: 5.25/6.8

A very good film. Definitely worth seeing.

Comments

[Val]

I took your advice and went to see this movie last week. LOVED it. I thought it was very sweet, but hilarious at the same time.