“FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL” GIVES FULL FRONTAL LAUGHS

Early in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," the protagonist Peter Bretter, played by Jason Segel (who also wrote the script), steps out of the shower as his girlfriend, played by Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars), arrives back at their apartment. Peter thinks their going to have sex. Sarah, however, has come to call it quits and Peter realizes, in all his mistimed nudity—and we mean all his full-frontal mistimed nudity--that he's getting dumped. They've grown apart, Sarah says. Peter shrinks in despair.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall is really, really funny, if you like your humor raunchy and ribald in the tradition of The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up, both movies also scripted by Segal. All these movies are guided by boy-men being dragged, kicking and screaming, into manhood. The difference in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" comes with Segel's character--a composer for television with dreams of writing a "Dracula" puppet musical--being a functioning adult who falls apart, cries, schemes, stalks, endures petty indignation after petty indignation, and must put himself back together again.

He tries everything to get over her: drinking to excess, reckless rebound sex, and an on-the-job nervous breakdown - Peter sees that not having Sarah may just ruin his life. Peter's brother (Bill Hader of SNL fame) advises our hero-to take a vacation in Hawaii. But at the resort, as only happens in the movies, Peter runs smack into Sarah and her new beau, Aldous, a preening British rock god played by Russell Brand. At the resort, Aldous keeps trying to be Peter's friend. Their hilarious banter while sitting offshore on surfboard is worth the price of admission by itself.

Also outstanding in the cast are its supporting players including Paul Rudd as the resort's blissfully stoned surfing instructor, Jonah Hill as a star-struck restaurant employee who has a way of rubbing salt in Peter's emotional wounds, Jack McBrayer (Kenneth the page on "30 Rock") as a honeymooner with sexual hang-ups, and a perky front-desk manager played by Mila Kunis (That 70’s Show). It seems as if all the talented supporting cast from television’s best shows have all broken free onto the big screen at the same time and the results is a marvelous soufflé.

The movie, currently in wide theatrical release, has received generally favorable reviews and currently holds an 85% positive ration on the Rotten Tomatoes website. The site's consensus concludes: "With ample laughs and sharp performances, Forgetting Sarah Marshall finds just the right mix of romantic and raunchy comedy." Matt Pais from the Chicago Tribune states “it’s the kind of movie you could watch all day because, like a new flame, you can't get enough of its company and are just glad to see where it takes you." Also, Richard Roeper has highly praised the film for its laugh-out-loud moments as well as its worthiness to be an instant classic.

Besides being a wonderful comedy in its own right, Forgetting Sarah Marshall is the latest attempt to break the movie taboo about showing male frontal nudity in mainstream films. Segal joins a select club of actors – from Malcom McDowell (Clockwork Orange) to Rudolf Nureyev (Valentino) to Bruce Willis (Color of Night) to Kevin Bacon (Wild Things) and Alan Bates fighting with Oliver Reed (Two Women) – male nudity in the movies has never caught on and remains stigmatized. Jason Segal is quoted in the Los Angeles Times as saying he will put a male nude scene in every one of his movies from now on until that unequal status is finally removed. Penises, he says, are a dime a dozen; Segel's attitude (and his walk of indignity in this movie) are priceless.