Forgetting Sarah Marshall (DVD)

~ Don’t go breaking my heart ~



Last night after a nice sunny weekend we ended our night with a film. We decided that we wanted to watch a comedy and my boyfriend found ‘Forgetting Sarah Marshall’ downstairs. Even though I had seen the film before he said he hadn’t so thought it would be a good choice. He was quite intrigued to watch the film as he said he had not heard about it, which surprised me as it was ...
...is a brilliant comedy. When it was released at the cinema I remember questioning whether it looked any good. One reason I doubted the film was because of Russell Brand. I can’t stand the man and thought that he may have ruined the film.



However from the adverts the film looked really funny and I remember the actor Jason Segel who plays the main role in a few other films which have been pretty good. This gave me the ... more

~ Don’t go breaking my heart ~

Last night after a nice sunny weekend we ended our night with a film. We decided that we wanted to watch a comedy and my boyfriend found ‘Forgetting Sarah Marshall’ downstairs. Even though I had seen the film before he said he hadn’t so thought it would be a good choice. He was quite intrigued to watch the film as he said he had not heard about it, which surprised me as it was advertised quite well. The film was released in 2008 and is a brilliant comedy. When it was released at the cinema I remember questioning whether it looked any good. One reason I doubted the film was because of Russell Brand. I can’t stand the man and thought that he may have ruined the film.

However from the adverts the film looked really funny and I remember the actor Jason Segel who plays the main role in a few other films which have been pretty good. This gave me the decision to give the film a go and last night was the second time I had seen it. Although action is my favourite genre there is always a time when you need a good laugh at a film and I find it hard to find a really good humoured comedy. The copy we had was actually my boyfriend’s brothers so we did have the DVD with features to watch as well.

The cover is pretty colourful and eye catching so it would properly catch your eye in a DVD shop. The name of Russell Brand may attract fans of his to the movie. There are a few other recognisable actors which I found helped me want to watch the film such as, Paul Rudd and Jonah Hill from Superbad.

~ INFO ~

Director- Nicholas Stoller

I had not heard of this name before so this did not help will choosing the film. Nicholas is not actually a well known director and has not directed many films at all. He has written quite a few but the only other film he has directed is, ‘Get him to the Greek’ which is to be released next year. However, the film seems to be run very well. He has written and helped with a number of known films including, ‘Fun with Dick and Jane’ 2005 and ‘Yes Man’ 2008, which shows he does have experience with comedy films. So I will be interested to see some other great films come from him.

Writer- Jason Segel
I found this pretty interesting as the main cast member in the film has also written the screenplay for his movie. This shows how multi talented the actor is and I think it works well, as he has written his own comedy he wanted to use.

Release date- 25 April 2008
Certificate- 15
Runtime- 111 Mins
Distributed- Universal Pictures

~ PLOT ~

Peter Bretter is a music writer for a TV series and is devastated when his stunning actress girlfriend Sarah dumps him. They have been together for five years and shared a flat together. He does not cope very well living in his dark dingy flat and having no motivation. He is encouraged to take a break and decides to go to Hawaii where Sarah said she had always wanted to go. He thought that having a break away from the flat will help him get over her.
Unluckily for Peter Sarah turns up at the same resort with a new lover, an English rock singer Aldous Snow. He has to now find a way to get over her with her presence lurking everywhere he turns but for Peter he finds new friendships on the island and a special attraction to front desk girl Rachael.

~ CAST and CHARACTERS ~

Peter Bretter- Jason Segel

Jason has appeared in many films several being comedy and I recognised him straight away. Knowing he has also written the film shows he is very talented and successful.
Other films he has starred in include- ‘I love you man’ 2009 and Knocked up’ 2007’.

He plays this protagonist role extremely well and you find yourself involved with Peter’s life. He is a very likeable character and you feel really sorry for him when he receives crap for being a good guy. He has to play all different emotions during this movie, comedy, heartbroken, depressed and happy which he performs perfectly. I really liked his character and have enjoyed all of his roles before this one. Even through the scenes where he is suppose to be devastated and can’t stop crying you find yourself laughing. The character is hilarious and I was laughing at his comedy all the way through.

Sarah Marshall – Kristen Bell

Kristen is a very successful American actress who I did recognise when I saw her in the film. I could not remember her name but knew she had done many known films before this. She is a very beautiful woman and plays her roles brilliantly. She has featured in productions such as- TV series Gossip Girl 2009, ‘Fanboys’ 2008 and ‘The Receipt’ 2005.

Sarah Marshall is an American Actress to a successful TV series. She has money and is happy with her carer. Even though she has been with Peter for five years she thinks she deserves better maybe because she is well known and decides she is better than he is. She loves the fame and the fact everyone wants to spend time with her. The character is played nicely and there are no faults with Kristen playing this role. Sarah finds life difficult and it is all not as it seems. You do feel quite negative towards this character as she hurts Peter.

Rachel Jensen – Mila Kunis

This is another actress I recognise but not sure where from and Mila has done many other films and TV shows I have seen. She is well known with for TV shows and has become just as famous in film. I have remembered her from ‘Max Payne’ 2008 and ‘Get over it’ 2001.

I really liked Rachel as a character and you feel interested in finding out about her life. She makes good friends with peter whilst on his stay and you can tell they have an instant attraction. She is a naturally beautiful woman and shows she is kind and loyal to her friends. She has respect for Peter as he tried to deal with his ex flaunting in front of her new lover. She fits the role well and acts with first class.

Other characters-

Aldous Snow – Russell Brand
As mentioned before I cannot stand this man but I think his performance was pretty good in this film. He fits the role well and think he was a good choice for the part. I did find him funny which is properly because he does play someone who is pretty slow and takes everyone takes the mick out of.

Chuck – Paul Rudd
Matthew the Waiter – Jonah Hill
Kemo – Taylor Willy
Greg – Kala Alexander
Wyoma – Maria Thayer
Darald – Jack McBryer

I think all the character acted very well and suited the roles they played. There were some brilliant characters which helped with the comedy and each one supported the leads superbly.

~ OPINIONS ~

Comedy

The comedy was absolutely hilarious and Jason Segel really shows this well. His acting is top notch and he provides great humour all the way through. I think this was the best part of the movie and why I liked it so much. His amusing character just over rates anyone else in the film. Everything he did was just funny and I think he will be very successful in comedy for a long time. Jason says that the break up narrative actually came from a real life experience of his.

The performance from Russell Brand was also good and helped with the humour. His British accent makes his character pretty amusing and he does come out with some great comedy and jokes. His slut ways and simple mind give Peter an ego boost when he realises that he will get no where in life with Sarah.

The roles from Paul Rudd and Jonah also help the comedy with their comments and humorous characters. Paul plays a guy called Chuck who has memory problems and forgets things. Peter meets him a few times and he cannot remember who he is. It was interesting to see this as I have not seen Paul play this sort of role before. All of the supporting actors helped in some way.

~ Filming and Themes ~

The scenes and location in Hawaii were just beautiful to see. The establishing shots of the island were amazing and everything is bright, colourful and stunning. All of the filming captured the perfect emotion of the scene and gave out a successful picture. The film included everything from panning to bird’s eye views of the resort. The cuts were quick during fast scenes and slow between romantic ones. All of the locations were filmed in Hawaii and Los Angeles.

The film includes all types of genres into one. Obviously comedy is the main focus here but it does have many others to attract a wide audience. This include- Romance, Action, Thriller and there are themes such as-

• The Good Guy. The film really protests to you that good guys are better than loud, successful guys who maybe more exciting but they will hurt you in the end. You should look for a man’s personality and that good guys should not be dis guarded because they are a little boring or do not have a lot of self confidence.

• Everyone is different. There are many various characters that are hugely different but see eye to eye. There are several personalities that are not the same but you find a connection and you should give everyone the benefit of the doubt. Looks can be deceiving.

• Follow your dreams. It shows you that if you want to do something you can do it with a little thought and preparation. Do not give up on anything because you think it is too hard.

• Relationships. There are many different relationships in this film and it gives the impression that they do not work without, trust, loyalty and laughter. Betraying a love can break their heart and without that you can not trust them again.

~ GOOD POINTS ~

- Brilliant comedy
- Great narrative and themes
- Beautiful scenes and locations
- Great acting and characters

~ NEGATIVES ~

None for me!

~ Parent Guide Notes ~

The film does include sexual references, violence and rude jokes and comments so I would agree with the certificate age given. I found it pretty funny when Peter gets dumped whilst standing in the nude. To my surprise you see everything of the actor which he seems not to mind flashing his parts. It makes the scene pretty humorous as he stands there crying in the nude, I couldn’t help but laugh. There are also scenes of

OVERALL

I really enjoyed this film and recommend it for some adult humour on an evening where you just need a good laugh. I think all the characters were great and I enjoyed every minute of it. It has memorable moments and funny one-liners. I may buy this on DVD if I can find it cheap and I would give the film an 8/10 overall personal rating. It is one of my favourite comedy films of last year.

~ EXTRAS ~

- Rotten Tomato rating- 84%
- Soundtrack- £11.99 from Play.com. Released April 15 2008.
1- We've Got To Do Something - Infant Sorrow
2- You Can't Break A Heart And Have It - Frank Black
3- Get Me Away From Here - Belle & Sebastian
4- More Than Words - Lazy Joes Band
5- Dracula's Lament - Jason Segel
6. Inside Of You - Infant Sorrow
7. F***ing Boyfriend - The Bird & The Bee
8. Intensified - Desmond Decker
9. Nothing Compares 2 U - FSM Band
10. Baby - Os Mutantes
11. These Boots Are Made For Walkin' - FSM Band
12. A Taste For Love - FSM Cast
13. Secret Sun - Jesse Harris
14. Everybody Hurts - FSM Band
15. Animal instincts - The Transcenders

~ DVD ~

You can buy a copy of the film for only £2.99 on Play.com at the moment which I think I may get. It does not have any special features listed on the DVD products but I am sure the disc last night we watched had bonus features.

~ Thank you for reading, Blackmagicstar4~ Sept 09.

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