Let’s just get this out of the way: Yes, Jason Segel goes full frontal in the film. Apparently, he’s been watching one too many Harvey Keitel movies. That this much-talked-about scene happens near the beginning actually ends up working well thematically (though probably not intentionally) as it clues the audience in to a key component of this Judd Apatow production: What you will be watching for the next 90 to 120 minutes is purely pornographic. I don’t mean the sometimes-exposed breasts, or the language that not-so-subtly evokes a conversation between truckers over the CB after a cocaine-fueled night at the strip club, or even Jason Segel’s penis. Rather, it is the plot which is pornographic. Consider the steps:
1. Boy loses Ridiculously Hot Girl (Kristen Bell of “Veronica Mars” fame) to English Bloke.
2. Boy goes to Hawaii to get his mind off of aforementioned Ridiculously Hot Girl, where, surprise, Ridiculously Hot Girl and English Bloke are staying at the same resort.
3. Boy meets Equally Hot Yet Less Bitchy Girl (Mila Kunis), who falls in love with him despite the fact that he’s a walking pile of sorrow and shame, and makes Ridiculously Hot Girl regret her decision to bed down with a wanker.
All that’s missing is a pizza delivery man at an all-girls Catholic school (I hear that’s Apatow’s next project).
Now, it’s worth mentioning that most Hollywood scripts have been written by balding, overweight men in their mothers’ basements, and thus are inclined toward the fantastical, but Judd Apatow productions seem to revel in this cinematic pie in the sky because, well, have you seen his wife? Have you seen him? He must just be incredibly lucky, right? Wrong–he’s funny, which according to most women is the most attractive quality in a man (they also say size doesn’t matter). Thus far the common thread to all Apatow movies have been the idea of the lovable loser, just as Apatow himself seems to be. First it was Steve Carell in the 40 Year Old Virgin as, well…a 40 year old virgin. But he’s self-deprecating and nervous and shy, which Catherine Keener finds all too adorable. He then becomes the 41 year old sex machine. Then it was the pudgy, immature guy that impregnates a one-night stand in Knocked Up. But he’s also funny and fresh and has the best of intentions, so Katherine Heigl gives him a shot. Right on its heels came Superbad about two high school nerds that talk dirty but are embraced for their wit and “realness”.
And you know what? I bought into all of that. I could see what Catherine Keener liked about Steve Carell, why Katherine Heigl would choose to date a man-child, and why two teenage girls–who could be with any number of members of the football team–chose instead to hang out with two guys that they found to be funny. Improbable though these victories for the protagonist underdogs were, they were not flukes. Unfortunately, in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, I just don’t understand what Mila Kunis finds in Jason Segel. To be honest, he’s probably better looking than any of his predecessors. And more professionally successful, as well–he plays a composer. But there’s one thing he just doesn’t have going for him: He’s just been dumped, and he’s miserable. Thus, every scene between him and Kunis drags on as so:
Segel: I’m so miserable because I’ve just been dumped by Ridiculously Hot Girl. Will you love me instead?
Kunis: Oh, I’m sorry, but I have to play hard-to-get for at least my next 15 minutes of screen time.
Segel: But I’m so miserable. My life is off track. What I really need is another woman to get my mind off of the last woman I dated. Can’t you be that woman?
Kunis: Hmmm…go ahead and continue talking. I’ll just nod my head and smile.
Segel: I really like you.
Kunis: Okay, your desperation has really got me turned on. Let’s go at it.
And this works? The dividing line between a love story and a porn film is often the believability of the romance. Segel is the least funny character in the film, he spends half his screen time with Kleenex in hand, and he seems to have little to say to women. I believed that Kunis would fall for him about as much as I believe that there’s a Playboy bunny out there who cruises the interstate, giving rides to hitchhikers (pun intended).
Having said all that, this film is the funniest I’ve seen since the last Apatow production I saw and is extra special in the theater, where the audience’s laughter feeds off of itself. Hey, no one said pornography wasn’t entertaining. I give it 8 millimeters out of a possible 10.
7 Comments
April 23, 2008 at 12:17 am
Apatow-produced films are the meringues of comedy: there’s just enough substance there to make you feel like you’re not just eating air. But are they filling? Not really. Do they leave a lasting impression? Not so much. Do you crave them? Rarely. They are comedies for those who have placed themselves on comedy diets.
If someone really wanted to, they could trace the eras of comedy back from the first Keystone Cops picture to today. We’re just emerging out of the Will Ferrell era–thank God–and Punch Drunk Love has put a rest to the Adam Sandler comedies. We now live in an Apatow world, whether we like it or not; filled to the gills with films that, despite their bluster, stay rather close to conservative family values, and on top of that, aren’t really that funny.
But strangely I can’t make myself dislike them. They’re too innocuous for that. And, I guess, therein lies their genius.
April 23, 2008 at 8:07 pm
I’m going to disagree with you there, Chief. I think that–up until now–Apatow has produced movies of substance. Let’s take “40 Year Old Virgin”, which deals with deviance and modern sexual norms. The genius of the movie is that there’s so much he doesn’t know, which is explained in the crudest manner possible by these more-experienced buddies he makes. Nothing is off limits in their conversations, but Seth Rogen and Paul Rudd et al are not the deviants for their imaginative usage of all of George Carlin’s words you can’t say on television–Steve Carell is because his sexual enlightenment comes about 20 years “too late”. This is not an inappropriately-filled pastry in “Van Wilder” or even a misused baked good in “American Pie”–mere cheap laughs (although “American Pie” did in some ways address the sexual confusion of adolescents). No, the real meat of the story is when the love interest, Catherine Kenner, confesses that she finds Steve Carell to be something of a loser, in part because of his approach–or lack thereof–to sex. So, is there something wrong with him, or is the problem with us? I think that’s a question of some substance.
April 24, 2008 at 12:42 am
Just to set my frame of reference: I haven’t seen “FSM” yet. I laughed at “Knocked Up” and “Superbad,” but wouldn’t rank them amongst my favorite comedies, nor have I had an inclination for a second viewing. I’ve seen “40 Year Old Virgin” a few times and would rate it my favorite of the recent Apatow flicks.
I haven’t spent much time thinking about the themes and substance of Apatow’s stuff. In that department, “my opinion falls somewhere between Jon’s and Jeff’s. I think there is more substance there than most comedies out there (perhaps with the exception of Superbad), which probably isn’t saying much.
To me, Apatow’s greatest strength is developing characters in a typically-shallow genre. That’s probably why his movies aren’t all that funny, yet leave you feeling pleasant overall. I personally feel that his style is best suited for television. I was a big fan of Apatow’s one season series, “Undeclared” (when I began to appreciate Seth Rogan). In fact, it was the reason that I originally began to resent Fox… before they gave me an even better reason when they canceled “Arrested Development.”
Anyway, the show wasn’t especially hilarious, but (like “Arrested Development”) you really begin to appreciate the characters’ quirks and idiosyncrasies. He’s good at making you care about the characters, despite a fairly shallow story line. I’ve heard that the same was true for “Freaks and Geeks.” I felt bad for Judd, since his both of his beloved creations had been cancelled before their time. I am glad that he’s found a greater level of success on the silver screen.
I don’t take kindly to hating on Sandler and Ferrell, Jon. I wouldn’t declare the end of the Sandler comedy era with “Punch Drunk Love.” Since then, he’s put out box office successes “Anger Management” (weak), “50 First Dates” (classic Sandler) and “The Longest Yard” (entertaining). In fact, IMDB tells me there’s an Apatow-Sandler collaboration coming up next year.
Granted, there won’t be another Billy or Happy. I appreciate that he’s branched out, though. I liked “Reign Over Me.”
April 25, 2008 at 12:23 am
Check out The Collegian’s review:
http://www.willamettecollegian.com/2008/04/23/sometimes-breaking-up-is-hard-to-do/
April 25, 2008 at 5:57 am
The Collegian. They haven’t had good film critics since, oh, I’d say, right about the time we left. Jon, do we need to write an angry letter to the editor demanding a retraction?
April 25, 2008 at 11:39 am
Oh, come on! The closing line in that review was phenomenal!
April 26, 2008 at 11:46 am
Let me just respond to Chris and say that I was not trying to be snide about the end of the Adam Sandler comedy era. Also adding to the confusion was that I hadn’t realized that Anger Management, 50 First Dates, and The Longest Yard were considered comedies. My mistake. I do want to be clear that I think Punch Drunk Love is a brilliant movie precisely because it aims to take Adam Sandler’s typical character and show the hurt, embarrassment, and pain that is just below the surface in all of his roles.
I also think it’s interesting that no one stood up for Will Ferrell’s latest movies, which have been mediocre across the board, starting with parts of Anchorman.
I revisited Superbad a few nights ago in a hotel, and it truly is a funny movie. Seth Rogan oozes charisma in it, and his script manages to be pretty surprising throughout, even in such a well-worn genre. And I’m looking forward to the Apatow-produced Pineapple Express, because one of my favorite directors, David Gordon Green, is being brought into the Apatow fold, which increasingly feels like a troupe in the way that the Coens and Scorsese tend to gravitate toward their favorite actors.
And we need to invite lburnett@willamette.edu from the Collegian to this site to participate. Get the new guard of WU campus film crit up in this mug. I’m assuming you two will have a lot to talk about, Jeff, since it seems like he/she shares your love of nudity.