Breaking Up Is Hard to Do

Anyone who's ever been dumped knows how hard it is to get over someone you love. For Peter Bretter (Jason Segel), it's near impossible. His girlfriend, Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell), is seemingly perfect, and even though she has the lack of courtesy to break up with Peter while he's completely nude (not the last time he'll be nude in this movie, by the way), he still pines for her. To escape the constant reminders of their relationship, Peter goes to Hawaii, where, what d'you know, Sarah's there with her new boyfriend. It turns out Forgetting Sarah Marshall is more challenging than Peter thought.

Thankfully, liking this movie is much easier. Written by Segel, it includes many quotable lines and doesn't fall for the typical romantic comedy cliches. Yes, Peter meets an equally engaging young woman (That 70s Show's Mila Kunis) and sure, Sarah's new boyfriend is an idiot, but things don't always go as expected with this foursome. Delivering the dialogue is this very appealing cast, led by unexpected leading man Segel. As with Knocked Up, the leads here are a pretty unlikely couple, but you can believe why they'd actually be together. Knocked Up writer/director Judd Apatow produced this film, and things are rounded out by amusing performances by a supporting cast that includes his regulars Jonah Hill, Bill Hader, and Paul Rudd. The laughs here aren't as big as Knocked Up or Superbad, but FSM is definitely worth seeing. I'm giving it a strong B.