Peter (played by Jason Segel from How I Met Your Mother) gets his ass dumped by girlfriend and famous actress Sarah Marshall (Kirsten Bell of Veronica Mars). In an attempt to get on with his life, he takes a trip to Hawaii, but unbeknownst to him, Sarah has also decided to visit the islands with her new rock star boyfriend Aldous Snow (played by Russell Brand, who also plays Aldous Snow in the equally hilarious Get Him To the Greek, which I also reviewed) and they are staying at the same hotel.
Peter, when not weeping like the ghost of a dead widow, seemingly befriends the entire hotel staff, including front desk Rachel (Mila Kunis, That 70's Show) and air-headed surfing instructor Chuck (played by the increasingly popular Paul Rudd, I Love You, Man.)
Not many movies have the guts to tackle the break up, but this movie beat the subject with a funny bone. Even though you are laughing at him the entire time, you connect with Peter. There were many times while watching that I was sort of smiling and wincing at the same time; smiling because it is funny, wincing because we have all had that moment where you think you are ding okay, but then your ex shows up and you go to pieces, or you see them with that new person and even though you know you should look away, you can't, like them making out is some kind of horrible traffic accident.
We get an outside perspective of all the painful steps we have all taken and we laugh.
The story telling is fantastic. As soon as the movie starts, Peter is dumped, and as the story progresses we are shown little scenes, snapshots of their relationship, and we get to see them the way we would remember our own relationship after it ends. First the good memories, the ones we can't get back, like that time you both laid in the grass, played video games, or when they kissed your nose for no reason; but as time goes on and you see your ex making out with Russell Brand, you remember all the shitty times, like when they bought you a terrible shirt that you wore to be nice, or when they just didn't get that thing you love. The flashbacks really help move the story along.
Jason Segel wrote the script, but when your cast list includes such comedy wizards as Bill Hader, Paul Rudd, Jack McBrayer, Russell Brand, and Jonah Hill, it's hard to tell what is good writing and what is good acting. The whole thing is just knock-down, drag-out funny.
Also, Mila Kunis? Li'l bit of a badass. At least, her character is: she doesn't stand for your guff and she will come at you like a junkie with a knife if you cross her. She is awesome.
The only bad thing I can say about this movie is that Jason Segel acts like he does in every movie: there is no difference between his performance in Forgetting Sarah Marshall and How I Met Your Mother or I Love You, Man, but he is funny as hell in I Love You, Man and How I Met your Mother is my favorite show, so fuck it.
5 Stars
P.S. There is a rock opera about Dracula done with puppets. If that doesn't intrigue you, than you have no soul.
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