Peter is a musician earning living as a sound composer for TV show that stars his girlfriend, Sarah. He writers at home, or should be. One day Sarah comes home a bit earlier than expected, and instead of argument about lazy slobs overeating in front of the TV, she informs Peter that she is leaving him.
On rebound, Peter takes a Hawaii vacation. So does Sarah with her new boyfriend. Aldous is an English rock star complete with leather pants, overdeveloped libido and childish mentality. He is, in other words, Peter’s opposite. Devastated Peter gets the sympathy of a hotel clerk, Rachel, who allows him to stay in the same hotel as the happy couple. Soon everyone on the island knows that Peter is Sarah ex-boyfriend.
Everyone is, of course, so helpful, including Rachel.
It is a screwball comedy. Everything is overdone, including the famous break up scene with 3 different shots of Peter’s penis. Everything is about as new as the penis shots (Betty Blue and The Crying Game had been there before and better).
Starting at the beginning: fat slobbering slobs only get to bed attractive women if they have an account the size Mr. Apatow’s is, and that account is hurting. Alcohol, overbearing sisters in-law and desperately lame half brothers, sunset at beautiful lagoons, newly wedded religious couple, that cannot get the sex thing strait (Aldous will teach the husband with a help of chess figurines), killing the barbecue pig, surfing, parties and the ever obliging Rachel.
There are moments when you think this will develop into a story: the extremely laid back Aldous appreciating Peter’s song, Rachel and Sarah at the dinner, or even Rachel’s explanations why she left Peter. Peter is writing a Dracula musical, the music is truly good, melodic, tonic and gentle, the text is ordinary but the performing puppets are wonderful. Some of the side episodes are funny, and well acted, but there is not enough of either. It is overlaid by blatant, cheap and sleazy sex talk and buried in equally bad set of overused clichés.
At least Peter could have been the Englishman. Or Sarah the dark, underfed beauty and Rachel the blond. Looking at the undersized females, I wondered why, if you so desire to cast young men as objects of attraction, would you not do so. It’d be new in a screwball comedy.
It is a guy movie. It ridicules Sarah acting career, but takes seriously Peter’s (sound effects take more talent than acting?) By appearing pitiful, a man, who lost one babe to his own sluggishness, gets another, and this one, at least as babyish as the last one, doesn’t require any maintenance, not even drinks. “She is not that kind of girl”. A smart, compassionate young woman, who’d never outshine him (no more standing outside the shot) and will love him, and his love handles, clean after him, cheer him up and earn a good salary. It doesn’t get any more conservative, nor does it matter how much sex is pushed into it, the premise is fit for the fifties. How funny will women find this idea, I don’t know.
Jason Segel is very believable Peter able even to act out the uncertainty of success. Kristen Bell’s part gives her about two moments of acting, she does what she can. Mila Kunis is in a slightly better acting situation and pleasant to watch. Russell Brand is so laid back in his part that you nearly miss the sometimes-sharp observations he makes. Two of the usual Apatow suspects appear in the movie: Paul Rudd plays the mentally burnt-out surf instructor, Jonah Hill the hotel waiter with musical ambitions.
Shots of flaccid penis don’t make me uncomfortable (do the filmmakers get uncomfortable with female breasts in film?), nor does male weeping or any other “emasculating” male activity. Gross stupidity makes me uncomfortable, boring repetition of the same theme dragging on get on my nerves. Dude-it’s so lame!
Universal Pictures, Apatow Prods.
Director: Nicholas Stoller, Screenwriter: Jason Segel, Producers: Judd Apatow, Shauna Robertson ,Director of photography: Russ T. Alsobrook, Music: Lyle Workman, Editor: William Kerr
Cast: Peter Bretter: Jason Segel,Sarah Marshall: Kristen Bell,Racheal: Mila Kunis
Aldous Snow: Russell Brand, Paul Rudd, Jonah Hill.
Brian: Bill Hader
Running time -- 112 minutes
MPAA rating: R
