Forgetting Sarah Marshall: A Defense

By Katey Rich

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Yesterday Jeff Wells at Hollywood Elsewhere wrote a post titled "Eclipse of the Hulk," which used Forgetting Sarah Marshall as the latest example of the Judd Apatow trend of pairing up an average guy with a beautiful woman. The primary plot of Marshall is that a guy, played by Jason Segel, is dumped by his gorgeous girlfriend and travels to Hawaii, only to fall in love with an equally-beautiful hotel clerk. "Segel is an obviously bright guy with moderately appealing features, but he also has a chunky, blemished ass and little white man-boobs, and he could definitely use a little treadmill and stairmaster time," Well wrote. "I don't relate to this shit at all, I was muttering to myself."

Wells went on to criticize the very notion that a young, attractive woman would want to be with someone like Segel, which torpedoed whatever remained of his convoluted argument. Because, the fact is, people do want to be with the Jason Segels, or want to be the Jason Segels, or Seth Rogens, or Michael Ceras of the world. Judd Apatow hasn't captured lightning in a bottle by creating fantasies on the screen that America wants to live out some day; guys who look like Apatow's characters have been finding romance for eons, and Apatow is the guy smart enough to show it happening on screen too.

What's lovely about Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and what makes it better than Knocked Up in some regards, is that the less-than-perfect guy gets what he deserves in a less-than-perfect girl. Sarah Marshall, played by Kristen Bell, is both the idolized ex and the monstrous ex, but by the end of the film she comes across as a human, and yes, even funny character. And Rachael, the hotel clerk played by Mila Kunis, both owns up to mistakes in her past and gets into a pretty sweet fight on the beach. They're girls who are funny and alive, and who you imagine wouldn't be satisfied with some Ken Doll image of what a leading man should be.

It's bizarre that Wells picked on Segel for his tirade, given that in a beauty contest against Steve Carell, Seth Rogen and Jonah Hill, Segel would inevitably win (not that I had a crush on him when I was 19 or thought he was the cutest thing in the world or anything...) Segel, who wrote the screenplay for Sarah Marshall as well, takes great joy in making fun of himself, whether it's crying uncontrollably during "Project Runway" or spending a decent amount of the film completely naked. But he's also a giant puppydog, incapable of being mean even to his ex-girlfriend and her obnoxious boyfriend (played marvelously by Russell Brand), and wary of falling in love with the new girl. Somehow he makes this not seem entirely pathetic, both by palling around with dudes who might be more pitiful than he is (played by Hill, Paul Rudd, and Jack McBrayer) and pulling off some good one-liners all his own. When he runs into Sarah in the hotel lobby and she asks him what he's doing there, he gives a perfectly deadpan "I came here to kill you."

I've mentioned my Film Journal story on Sarah Marshall ad nauseam (and linked to it again just now!), and I might not be done writing about it. But as the first reviews start rolling in and some critics start rolling their eyes at another Apatow vehicle that's "cool with schlumps getting the girl" (to quote Wells), I figure Sarah Marshall deserved a defense. If you can't identify with Jason Segel in this film, then you are either Jeff Wells or have never had a single doubt about yourself or had your heart broken. Sarah Marshall may not be quite as funny or tightly scripted as Knocked Up, but it does a better job than any Apatow vehicle thus far of presenting real characters, male and female, who still get in some good jokes and pratfalls.

And if none of this has convinced you that Segel is a guy worth liking and rooting for, check out this video from the film's promotional blog, IHateSarahMarshall.com. Yes, that's a vampire Muppet, and yes, that will be an important plot point. You know you're intrigued!