SYNOPSIS: Struggling musician Peter Bretter (Jason Segel, Knocked Up, How I Met Your Mother) has spent six years idolizing his girlfriend, television star Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell, Veronica Mars). He’s the guy left holding her purse in paparazzi photos and accidentally omitted from acceptance award speeches. But his world is rocked when she dumps him and Peter finds himself alone. After an unsuccessful bout of womanizing and an on-the-job nervous breakdown, he sees that not having Sarah may just ruin his life.

To clear his head, Peter takes an impulsive trip to Oahu, where he is confronted by his worst nightmare: his ex and her tragically hip new British-rocker boyfriend, Aldous (Russell Brand), are sharing his hotel. But as he torments himself with the reality of Sarah’s new life, he finds relief in a flirtation with Rachel (Mila Kunis), a beautiful resort employee whose laid-back approach tempts him to rejoin the world. He also finds relief in several hundred embarrassing, fruity cocktails.

REVIEW: Surfing Instructor: When life gives you lemons, just say 'F--- the lemons,' and bail.
That is incredible advice given to Peter Bretter (Jason Segel) by a surfing instructor, Chuck (Paul Rudd). Peter meets Chuck in Hawaii as he tries to escape the sad, heart-broken world he lives in after the love of his life, Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell), breaks up with him. It was an ugly breakup which was followed by a staggering difficulty to let go. Thus his friends gave him the idea of going to Hawaii as a first step toward moving on. That didn’t quite work out as planned. If you don’t know the name Judd Apatow, start learning it. He has been involved as writer, director, or producer of some of the best comedies in recent years and this one is just the next installment. He is one of the producers for this comedic gem and he also worked on 40-Year-Old Virgin, Superbad, Anchorman, Kicking and Screaming, Knocked Up, Talladega Nights, Walk Hard, and most recently Drillbit Taylor. What a resume! So yeah, just by association this movie is really funny but I wouldn’t necessarily put it on the top of that list. It falls somewhere in the middle. If you are a fan of these movies, this is a must see for you.

I laughed, I laughed hard, I laughed harder, and I cried (from laughing so hard). This movie is bumper to bumper raunchy adult humor, random/stupid humor, physical humor, and hilarious one-liners. Throw in a pinch of emotion for the sake of the story and you’ve got a hit. Poking fun at relationships has always appealed to the masses probably because it is so easy to relate to. This has got to be the best comedy so far this year. You will probably remember the lead actor, Jason Segel, from his role in Knocked Up as one of the father’s roommates. He stepped up to the plate on this one and delivers. He’s no Will Ferrell or Steve Carell yet, but he held his ground in this picture. He also had a good cast around him. Starting with the two very attractive co-stars, Kristen Bell and Mila Kunis, they spiced up their respective characters nicely. You’ve also got Bill Hader, Jonah Hill, and Paul Rudd with strong supporting roles. Paul was totally unrecognizable considering the kinds of roles he usually plays. I struggled to convince Priscilla that indeed it was him as the Surf Instructor. What a random performance. Jonah-on-the-spot also contributed his comical talent. I was most impressed by Russell Brand as Aldous Snow, Sarah Marshall’s new beau. He delivered a colorful character and he had some of the best lines in the movie.

In a movie like this, the plot takes a back seat to the humor. The focus is more on the comedy than the story so it really doesn’t matter how simple the story might be like in this case. What does matter a lot to the success of the comedy is the script and this one triumphs. Again, just another product of this comedy cranking team of filmmakers. Interestingly enough, this is a first time out as Director for Nicholas Stoller. Not bad, Nicholas, not bad, but of course with a cast and crew like this you can’t go wrong.

Review By Cine Marcos 
cinemarcos@smartcine.com

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