I am a big fan of lists and 'desert island' choices. I can never pick a favorite beer or whiskey, sitcom, murder mystery, Broadway show or rapper/rock band. Call me indecisive or something else, but no matter how passionately I love something in particular (see: Snoop Dogg's solo debut, Doggystyle), I always feel that I need that selection or alternative (see: Eminem's The Slim Shady LP). I love Seinfeld, but after seeing each episode at least four times in the past 15 years, its nice to have Modern Family or The Office to turn to. When I first saw Forgetting Sarah Marshall in the fall of 2008, the stars were aligned for me to love the movie and make it my 'desert island' comedy movie. Going back to the premise of this whole shebang, I crave entertainment value, and if I am expected to be entertained on a desert island with nothing but a DVD player, tv, endless food and drink, and one DVD? Its going to be Forgetting Sarah Marshall, at the expense of several other films that are classics in their own right. So back to the stars being aligned.
In 2008, I was on my way home from Hawaii to the east coast and stopped in San Diego. Lets just say that the pay per view choices at the hotel near Mission Bay were quite limited, to the point that I 'accidentally' ordered The Clone Wars (the Star Wars spin off animated series). Also, FSM happened to be released nationwide into theaters on my birthday of that year. I fell in love with Hawaii while visiting and the movie takes place on Oahu. One of its stars, Mila Kunis, owns the same first name as my niece, and I am as tall as Jason Segel (ok, the last one I made up). Anyway, I pretty much defaulted to the movie not expecting anything. It is a very simple story: man gets heart broken by woman, man vacations and inevitably runs into said woman, man meets other woman, man finds life is better without previous woman, man writes puppet opera to rave reviews. Yes, that is the simplistic storyline, 'man' being Jason Segel, 'woman' being Kristen Bell (I have a somewhat undying crush on her, she just seems like an incredibly cool chick), and 'other woman' being Mila Kunis.
To this day, I still cannot say what I like best about the movie. Certainly there are the one-liners, and Bell and Segel have great chemistry as a couple and otherwise. Russel Brand, as British rock legend and sex savant Aldous Snow, was an absolute revelation to me. I had never heard of him prior to seeing the movie, and for me, he absolutely stole the show. The joint dinner scene is his shining moment, in addition to his songs ('Inside of You' and 'We Gotta Do Something') and his first scene, 'Excuse me misses, I've lost a shoe....'
Anyway, the four main cast members (Segel, Brand, Bell and Kunis) are all fantastic. Even the cameos, like Paul Rudd as Kunu the surf instructor or Bill Hader (already extremely positively reviewed on SNL) as Segel's brother-in-law, contribute very well to the story and comedy. Fact is, I never, ever get tired of this movie. I own a Blu Ray copy and anytime its on cable, I have a lot of trouble turning it off if I in fact turn it on. Not only is it a relatable story (except for the puppet opera), but there is just the right amount of 'sad bastard' factor to make it enjoyable to women and men alike. Throw in the fact that it is bookended by full frontal Jason Segel nudity (don't worry, its just a quick flash and it won't make you gay if you think its funny), and this instantly becomes my 'desert island' comedy film.
Yes, she is the voice of Meg Griffin, and Rachel Jansen in FSM.
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