Up until I saw the coming attraction for Forgetting Sarah Marshall I hailed Jason Segel as an up and coming comic talent. I even fantasized about casting him in a minimalist black and white about mopey twentysomethings (he has that pedigree). As a once loyal Apatowian, I had the fortune to witness his initially great run: while most people know him as Nick, the loveable but tragically untalented Neil Pert wanna-be from Freaks and Geeks, I usually have his reoccuring role on Undeclared in mind as his quinessential comic moment. On Undeclared, Segel played Eric, the left behind boyfriend of Lizzy, a college freshmen who went away to college. Lizzy (Carla Gallo) played the girl down the hall from you who plastered her walls with pictures of the relationship that everyone knew was doomed but continued to go on with the charade. On Undeclared the reason Lizzy's walls are covered in pictures of Eric is that Eric is the manager of a Kinko's-esque copy center. Eric, who wields his occupation like a amorous weapon gives Lizzy a number of gifts ranging from Lizzy and Eric themed calendars right on down to a pillowcase with Eric's face on in (complete with "Dreaming of You" thought bubble). Apatow loved the Eric character so much that the final episode of Undeclared features the main characters tangently, opting to dedicate his final 22 minutes on network televison to Eric and the copy shop's staff, brilliantly played by Kyle Gass and David Krumholtz.
Eric's inability to let go of Lizzie and acknowledge the failing romance staring him in the face seems to be Segel's trademark. Aside from this being the case in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Segel's Nick suffered the same pathetic indignity in Freaks and Geeks as well. Only as Marshall (the underrated How I Met Your Mother) the serial monogamist, does Segel change up his schtick and it's a subtle: Marshall is who Eric or Nick would be if they were a bit smarter and luckier in love. It should be noted that Segel's turn as a would-be lothario, spurting off cheesy pick up lines decked out in a tracksuit in Knocked Up felt long overdue and is already sorely missed.
Eric's inability to let go of Lizzie and acknowledge the failing romance staring him in the face seems to be Segel's trademark. Aside from this being the case in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Segel's Nick suffered the same pathetic indignity in Freaks and Geeks as well. Only as Marshall (the underrated How I Met Your Mother) the serial monogamist, does Segel change up his schtick and it's a subtle: Marshall is who Eric or Nick would be if they were a bit smarter and luckier in love. It should be noted that Segel's turn as a would-be lothario, spurting off cheesy pick up lines decked out in a tracksuit in Knocked Up felt long overdue and is already sorely missed.
If Segel is so damn good, why does Forgetting Sarah Marshall feel like such a disappointment? Is it because Nicholas Stoller is a mediocre director? Check. Is it the hackneyed physical comedy gags? Well in FSM we get pelvic thrusts (rinse, repeat), a poor attempt at surfing and naturally, our hero taking a tumble off a cliff. Thus, check. Or is it that Segel doesn't seem to know where his strengths lie. Or perhaps it is the one note characters surrounding Segel's Peter, who is at best, a two note character. Or perhaps it is because Segel doesn't have the chops to write a really funny or really stirring movie and we end up with something that is chemically sweet and heavy on cliche jokes (gays, accents, falling and overweight people).
I'll skip the first two observations and jump right to the crux of my problem with this film. Segel, who wrote the movie as a vehicle for his first leading movie role, can't carry a film. Or at the very least, his current on-screen persona can't handle a feature length motion picture. He is grating, whiny and annoying. Peter's best moments are not the moments when he is being "tender" (read: self absorbed) but when he is being neurotic and awkwardly crazy. When Peter arrives at the hotel and meets his love interest, played by the too-good-looking-to-not-make-a-fuss-over Rachel (Mila Kunis) only to discover he is trapped on the same island with his television star ex-girlfriend (and her new man), he attempts to joke his way out of this whopper of a coincidence. As Peter nervously blurts out he has come to Hawaii to kill Miss Marshall (only with kindness!), it is both clumsily hysterical and telling: although Peter is a docile guy, this situation is killing him. Rather then focus on fifteen minutes worth of Peter's weeping, it would have been wise to show how desperate this situation has made him, perhaps with some comedic situations along the way.
Jonah Hill plays a homoerotic waiter who serves as a reoccurring reminder that Mr. Apatow and his brethren are from the suburbs- and they don't plan on moving to the city any time soon. Mr. Hill spends the whole movie making variously awkward flirtations towards Sarah's new beau, the over-the-top rocker Aldous Snow (Russell Brand). Which is fine, except that the underlying theme seems to be that fat+ gay = funny. Not quite the formula I'd expect from the alumni of a television show that licensed "No Language in Our Lungs" but I guess I'll learn to deal.
Since the movie is only funny in short spurts, I am led to believe that I am supposed to be interested in the drama at hand. But I'm not. The audience is never privvy to what Peter and Sarah really had or what Peter really loved about Sarah. If this were a straight comedy I'd never be looking for these kinds of plot points but since it is obvious the audience is supposed to really feel for Peter, the couple's history is important. The only glimpses of their past are seen in short flashbacks that are cute but don't add up to much more than superficial visuals of two people smiling. Peter cries and wails and pouts and moans but never seems to give one specific reason that he misses the movie's namesake gal. The movie wisely (but briefly) gives Sarah's point of view (always a weak link for Apatow and his disciples) and shows why Peter was dumped in the first place. Sadly, this amounts to a single flashback of Peter wearing sweatpants. Has Mr. Segel never seen Annie Hall? An obvious reference point, but Allen's thrifty flashbacks said so much in such brief snippets that it would be wise for Mr. Segel to find inspiration beyond The 40 Year Old Virgin if he plans on writing another film anytime soon. And if the relationship between Sarah and Peter is flimsy, that would make the romance between Peter and Rachel flacid. The only thing he seems to like about her is that she likes him, clearly out of pity. And when Peter tells his brother-in-law Brian he met a "cute" girl at the desk, my suspense of disbelief alarm rang loudly: no matter what universe Mr. Segel lives in, Rachel is gorgeous and Peter's character deserves to be buried in the sand for not even batting an eye over her (undeserved) interest in him.
Finally, shame on Mr. Segel for keeping the Apatowian universe so TMZ-oriented. I grow more and more weary of modern comedies ability to be funny on it's own. That is, to not reference other movies or television shows. I cringe at the thought of having to sit through "Rock of Love" joke in 5 or 10 years.
The film ends with the "Peter Gets His Groove Back" montage and (spoiler alert!) the girl. Blah. I guess it would be too much for the film to perhaps let Peter end the movie alone, seeing as how he just got out of a 5 year relationship that caused him to have a nervous breakdown. But not in tinseltown! You are nobody until you meet somebody and we can all look forward to a sequel in which Peter, jilted by the hotel receptionist flees to Europe and... well you know.
Sometimes I wonder if I am too hard on Apatow and his clan. This crew was spawned from Freaks and Geeks, known for it's honest portrayal of high school in the 80's (or any era). But how come all these movies feel more like American Pie? Sometimes I think it's because much like with Sarah Marshall this potentially talented group of people overlook what made Freaks and Geeks so good: the unflinching, unwavering honesty of the storytelling. What Mr. Apatow and co. seem to take away from the cult following of Freaks is America has an apparent obsession with the eternal adolensce of dim-witted stoners. It would be nice to see a successful, ambitious man who didn't need a woman to "fix him." The way these movies simplify femininity is the reason Judd probably couldn't score a hot babe until he could cast her in all his movies.
Most of all, doesn't anyone realize that Paul Feig was the real tastemaker of Freaks and Geeks?
Sometimes I wonder if I am too hard on Apatow and his clan. This crew was spawned from Freaks and Geeks, known for it's honest portrayal of high school in the 80's (or any era). But how come all these movies feel more like American Pie? Sometimes I think it's because much like with Sarah Marshall this potentially talented group of people overlook what made Freaks and Geeks so good: the unflinching, unwavering honesty of the storytelling. What Mr. Apatow and co. seem to take away from the cult following of Freaks is America has an apparent obsession with the eternal adolensce of dim-witted stoners. It would be nice to see a successful, ambitious man who didn't need a woman to "fix him." The way these movies simplify femininity is the reason Judd probably couldn't score a hot babe until he could cast her in all his movies.
Most of all, doesn't anyone realize that Paul Feig was the real tastemaker of Freaks and Geeks?
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