Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Forgetting Sarah Marshall’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

For the most part, romantic comedies that feature heartbreak and a search for true love, tend to be supremely formulaic in nature, to the point where one can recite their cookie-cutter plots in their sleep. Because they always feature someone who thinks their relationship is in a wonderful place because they’ve discovered their true love. Only to have said love dump them like a hot potato, and our hero or heroine is listless as they search for that other half that truly completes their soul and of course, they eventually find that individual and live happily ever after. Complete with a closing sequence that involves a big kiss and a hit song for the soundtrack, or Santa if it’s a Hallmark movie.
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If anything, being able to break down that plot with ease, makes those types of movies boring for the most part. Because the characters are often two-dimensional in nature since they have no hopes or dreams in life outside of falling in love, and they cannot be successful in life until they’ve found their other half. But thankfully, there are romantic comedies out there revolving around heartbreak and rediscovery that break the mold, and actually manage to offer depth and meaning to the audience. And thanks to Jason Segel’s writing skills, a movie that meets that particular criteria hit theaters in 2008, and the sheer quality of the script and the film as a whole has made Forgetting Sarah Marshall a true cult classic and a refreshing romantic comedy as well. 

But what’s funny about this film, is that initially seems as though it is going to follow the formula we just discussed, and the only twist present in this particular iteration would be some edgier and more relatable humor. But once you dive into the wonder of this motion picture, you come to realize that it has so much to offer to its audience, since it is hands down one of the most intelligent romantic comedies out there. In large part because it offers up a realistic look at dating, something that few films in this genre ever attempt to do since they prefer to operate within a fairy tale atmosphere. But this movie, well it wastes no time in reminding us that dating can be a chore, and we really do have to go on quite a few dates to get an idea of what we want out of a relationship.

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But while that alone is a big departure for this genre in general, this motion picture finds ways to go above and beyond in its frank dissections of modern dating by exploring something that few films bother to dive into; self-discovery and self-care and how that relates to healthy relationships. Because sometimes what causes a relationship to fail, is the fact that we aren’t happy with or love ourselves, and that motivates us to gravitate to garbage people who don’t treat us as equals and that’s also a big reason we drift from relationship to relationship with no end or happiness in sight and this movie does a fine job of looking at the cure for that.
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Because Peter really does go on quite the journey of self-discovery here, the kind that allows for him to realize exactly why his relationship with Sarah didn’t work out and why he gravitates to her. Because Sarah wanted things her way and expected Peter to transform himself into her perfect man. And he was happy to do so because he really wasn’t all that happy with himself and expected this relationship to make him a better man. Which is why the third act of this film is so outright inspiring, because Peter comes to realize this as well, and he finally takes the time to care for himself and heal, and discover what really makes him tick and that allows for him to accomplish wonders and that really is a beautiful and satisfying way to wrap up this fascinating motion picture.

Yet, while it is nice to find cerebral meaning in a romantic comedy, it is also important to note that this is a hilarious film as well. Because the jokes work at every single turn, and there are sequences that outright leave you gasping for air as you laugh and that’s thanks in large part to a stellar cast that knows how to handle comedy through and through. In the end however, this really is just a gem of a motion picture. Because it is that rare comedy with heart and it is filled to the brim with wonderful life lessons for the audience and if by chance you haven’t seen this one yet, please seek it out and give it a look. Because it’s powerhouse script and slick direction allow for you to get lost in a wonderful story about a man trying to find his place in the world and you simply cannot go wrong with enjoying a movie that features all the wonderful elements we’ve just discussed… and a Dracula puppet musical.  

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