‘Sarah Marshall’ successful in part —
Judd Apatow’s mass production line is out with, “Forgetting Sarah Marshall.”
This widely publicized film, directed by Nicholas Stoller, written and starring Jason Segel, concerns a composer Peter Bretter who ends a five-year relationship with his girlfriend, television star Sarah Marshall.
Heartbroken and alone, Bretter takes a trip to Hawaii, where he meets Marshall vacationing at his hotel with her new boyfriend, British rock star Aldous Snow.
Such an unexpected encounter in so close a proximity is bound to produce fodder to keep audiences entertained throughout a film; in this regard, “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” does not disappoint.
This is largely because of inspired performances from the whole cast. Jason Segel plays the dumped guy perfectly. His deflated look an embodiment of every man’s fear of rejection. The androgynous Russell Brand is engagingly obnoxious, especially when he delivers his best rocker impersonation.
Kristen Bell fit the popular imagination of a neurotic actress, more concerned with her career than with a stable relationship. And then there is the gorgeous Mila Kunis.
With Kunis, a star is not born as much as unveiled. This former “That 70’s Show” heartthrob melts the screen with her magnetic presence and delicious beauty.
It seems that as Apatow has become a better filmmaker, his comedic sense has depreciated. For example, 40-Year-Old Virgin was frayed, uneven in pace, but what is most remarkable about it was the levity of its humor. With Apatow’s latter films, the pace is more controlled and mannered, but the laugh lines we crave have been rationed, while the plots grow more ponderous.
There has been much talk about the freshness of Apatow, his human depiction of women. Some truth does exist in these claims. Catherine Keener was a successful business tech in “40-Year-Old Virgin,” Katherine Heigl was a TV producer for E! Entertainment in “Knocked Up,” while Kristen Bell is a popular actress in a CSI-like show.
Yet, the other side of the coin has not received much attention. Apatow’s male characters are plain dreadful. He portrays them as alternately sex-starved or oversexed, anti-social slackers – in short, as hirsute adolescents. With Steve Carell, Seth Rogen and Jason Segel, we all have variations on the same theme.
So we have it, this positive reappraisal of the female has occurred at the price of male degradation.
“Forgetting Sarah Marshall’s” selling point is Segel’s wiener. I offer no objection to the salability of flesh, its compartmentalization as simply another product in the marketplace.
My gripe is why anyone thinks baring a schlong is the mark of a good actor or that a film is worth watching because an organ hangs loose. I don’t believe anyone’s opinion about Salma Hayek’s work ethic changed when she showed it all in “Frida,” or likewise Ashley Judd in “Norma Jean and Marilyn?” So why is everyone quick to praise Viggo Mortensen in “Eastern Promises” or Richard Gere in “American Gigolo?”
It’s all in a day’s work, people.
So though I find “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” refreshingly amusing, I can see Apatow’s brand of comedy becoming subject to diminishing returns. There is an extent to which jokes about the sexual act, human orifices and body fluids reach the peak, and after which, they become less audacious and more ponderous.
Audiences become inured when the sheen of novelty wears off.
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‘Forbidden Kingdom’ worth a visit —
Once in a while, fans get an opportunity to see two film stars collide in a cinematic duet, where hiding behind their screen personas, both actors clash to the delight of audiences.
One of the most anticipated matchups was between Al Pacino and Robert de Niro in “Heat.”
Now we have another in “The Forbidden Kingdom,” based on the Chinese classic “Journey to the West.” The film features martial-arts legends Jet Li and Jackie Chan, and truth be told, I was expecting this film before I ever knew of Francois Truffaut.
“The Forbidden Kingdom” charts a group’s long march to deliver a sacred staff to the immortal Monkey King. Legend had foretold that this king, imprisoned in a statue, would defeat the evil jade army but only when the staff was returned to him.
Besides Bruce Lee, Chan and Li are the biggest Wushu stars to come from Asia. Chan has starred in the “Rush Hour” series, among numerous duds, and Li in “Romeo Must Die.” (Their better works require subtitles, a high tolerance for watching death-defying leaps and ridiculous physical flexibility.)
Whereas we were cheated with the short time Pacino and De Niro had together – hence, the need for Righteous Kill – Li and Chan duke it out for more than five minutes, using styles ranging from the Tiger Claw to the Gator Snap to the Roll Tide.
“Forbidden Kingdom” is riveting when the filmmakers concentrate on the graceful motions, fluid choreography and slight comedic touches of their actors; and the Taoist and Buddhist elements of its plot. When the director returns to a cliche book-end, our interest fizzles out.
—- Contact Freke Ette at [email protected]