Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Encyclopedia
Forgetting Sarah Marshall is a 2008 American romantic comedy film
directed by Nicholas Stoller
and starring Jason Segel
, Kristen Bell
, Mila Kunis
and Russell Brand
. The film, which was also written by Segel and co-produced by Judd Apatow
, was released by Universal Studios
.
The story revolves around Peter Bretter, who is a music composer for a TV show that happens to feature his girlfriend, Sarah Marshall, in the lead role. After a 5 year relationship Sarah abruptly breaks up with Peter. Devastated by this event, he chooses to go on a vacation in Hawaii, in order to try to move forward with his life. Trouble ensues when he runs into his ex on the island as she is vacationing with her new boyfriend.
Filming began in April 2007 at the Turtle Bay Resort
on the North Shore of Oahu Island in Hawaii. The film was released for North American theaters on April 18, 2008 and in the UK a week later on April 25, 2008.
) is in a five-year relationship with actress Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell
), who stars in a CSI
-like television show, Crime Scene: Scene of the Crime. One day, as Peter stands naked in their apartment (after dropping his towel from showering), Sarah announces that she is leaving him for someone else. Devastated, and unable to banish his grief through one-night stands, Peter takes a trip to Hawaii
. The vacation, however, is ruined when he learns that Sarah and her new boyfriend Aldous Snow (Russell Brand
) (lead singer of the English rock band, Infant Sorrow) are also guests of the resort. Taking pity on him, hotel concierge Rachel (Mila Kunis
) offers him an expensive suite for free in exchange for cleaning up the room himself.
Peter begins spending time with Rachel and starts to develop feelings for her. Meanwhile, the relationship between Sarah and Aldous begins to falter. Much of the discord is triggered by the news that Sarah’s TV show has been cancelled
, and Aldous is about to embark on a world tour. During a day of surf and sand Aldous and Peter run into each other and begin talking. Inadvertently, Aldous informs Peter that he and Sarah began having sex a full year before she broke up with Peter. When Peter confronts Sarah, she tells him she began feeling disconnected emotionally from him and she could not do anything to make their relationship work. Further exacerbating the situation is Sarah's obvious jealousy of the budding relationship between Peter and Rachel.
The situation comes to a head when Sarah, Aldous, Peter and Rachel share an awkward dinner together. Peter takes Rachel back to his hotel room and they begin to fool around. Sarah hears them through the wall and initiates sex with Aldous, moaning loudly for the benefit of the couple next door, and Rachel and Peter turn the situation into a game and become even louder. When Aldous realizes Sarah is clearly faking orgasm
s to try to get a rise out of Peter, he stops the sex and tells her the trip was a mistake as she's clearly not over Peter. They bicker furiously and cruelly, prompting Aldous to announce that the relationship is over. In the other room, Peter and Rachel discuss how much they have enjoyed each other’s company and how the feelings have grown strong between them in such a short period of time.
The next morning, Peter encounters Aldous, and learns that he and Sarah have broken up and that he is flying back to England. Peter goes to Sarah's room to console her where she admits she still loves him and tries to rekindle their romance. The two start to engage in sexual activity, but Peter abruptly cuts it off because of his feelings for Rachel, and his now ambivalent feelings towards Sarah.
Peter immediately goes to Rachel to confess what happened, but she is hurt and demands that he leave and never contact her again. Obviously upset over the fight, Peter goes to a bar they frequented together and steals a humiliating topless photo of Rachel, posted in the men's room, taken while she was too drunk to consent and which the bar owner refuses to remove. Peter endures a beating from the bar's owner, but returns to the hotel and wordlessly gives her the photo before leaving again.
He then flies back to Los Angeles. After a period of sadness and self-loathing, he begins working on his Dracula puppet rock opera, A Taste for Love. He sends an invitation to Rachel for the opening night performance. Although extremely hesitant at first, Rachel eventually decides to attend. After the performance Rachel congratulates Peter and tells him she's looking into attending school in the area. She leaves so Peter can bask in the success of his show, but quickly returns to Peter's dressing room to tell him she misses him. Peter is in the midst of changing his clothes, and stands naked, while also in the process of trying to call Rachel on her cell phone. Surprised to see her, and naked and embarrassed (mirroring the beginning of the film) Peter tells her that he has missed her too. The film ends as they embrace and kiss.
and in Los Angeles
. While filming, lead actor Jason Segel told a New York Times interviewer that the naked break up scenes were based on a real life experience he had. The film features a great deal of improvised dialogue; according to director Nicholas Stoller, it's "60 or 70 percent scripted and then 30 or 40 percent improv".
Stoller stated that Judd Apatow
was very involved in the casting process and the development of the script. Regarding the nudity in the film he added that the first draft of the script called for the (Peter Bretter) character to get dressed after the breakup, but he thought it would be funnier if the character stayed naked the entire time. However, he confirmed the picture of Mila Kunis used in the film was created on a computer and not real.
reports that 85% of 175 critics have given the film a positive review, with a rating average of 7.0 out of 10. Among Rotten Tomatoes' "Top Critics", which consists of popular and notable critics from the top newspapers, websites, television and radio programs, the film holds an overall approval rating of 89%, based on a sample of 37 reviews. The site's consensus is that "With ample laughs and sharp performances, Forgetting Sarah Marshall finds just the right mix of romantic and raunchy comedy." Metacritic
reported the film had an average score of 67 out of 100, based on 37 reviews.
Matt Pais of the Chicago Tribune
said it's "the kind of movie you could watch all day because, like a new flame, you can't get enough of its company and are just glad to see where it takes you." Richard Roeper
highly praised the film for its laugh-out-loud moments as well as its worthiness to be an instant classic and went as far as to say he would put it on his list of 50 favorite comedies of all time.
Other positive reviews come from Entertainment Weekly
who gave the film a B+ and applauded "Jason Segel's riff on varieties of male bewilderment," and Mick LaSalle
of the San Francisco Chronicle
, who wrote "Segel's breakthrough movie, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, deserves to ride the wave of the latest, hottest micro-trend in pictures: the romantic comedy for guys."
In its opening weekend, the film grossed $17.7 million in 2,798 theaters in the United States and Canada, ranking #2 at the box office behind The Forbidden Kingdom, and averaging $6,335 per theater in the US and per theater in Canada. It opened behind other Apatow productions such as Superbad, Knocked Up
, The 40-Year-Old Virgin
and Talladega Nights, but ahead of his recent films Walk Hard and Drillbit Taylor
.
As of February 2009, Forgetting Sarah Marshall has grossed an estimated total of $105.2 million worldwide; $63.2 million in North America and $42 million in other territories.
and Blu-ray disc was released on September 30, 2008. At the DVD sales chart, Forgetting Sarah Marshall opened at #2 and sold 652,000 units, translating to $12,905,492 in revenue. As of (November 2009) 1,785,744 DVD units have been sold, acquiring revenue of $29,145,295. This does not include Blu-ray sales/DVD rentals.
It was released in a single-disc DVD edition, a three-disc collector's DVD edition, a two-disc Blu-ray edition, and the Ultimate Unrated Comedy Collection containing the collectors' editions of Forgetting Sarah Marshall, The 40-Year-Old Virgin
and Knocked Up
on either DVD or Blu-ray Disc. It was released on DVD in Australia (region 4) on August 20, 2008 in a single and 2-Disc Unforgettable Edition and was also released on Blu-ray disc in Australia on November 5, 2008.
, Blondie
and Kenny Loggins
have also been heard on the previews for the film.
Several songs are featured in the film that were not included on the soundtrack, including "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now
" by The Smiths
and the version of "Nothing Compares 2 U
" by Sinéad O'Connor
, both of which are heard in the background during the scene in which Peter's brother deletes all of Peter's photos. "Amber
" by 311
can be heard in the background during the bar scene after Peter and Rachel's first date, as well as "Playa Azul" from Los Amigos Invisibles
. "Move Your Feet
" by Junior Senior
is briefly played in background in the scene at the beginning when they are showing Access Hollywood clips. Another song not featured on the soundtrack is "Heavy Lifting" from New York
band Ambulance Ltd
.
, though it did not win any awards. The nominations were:
On The Comedy Festival Presents: Funniest Movies of the Year 2008 on TBS, Forgetting Sarah Marshall was voted "The Funniest Film of 2008".
Fictional websites created for the film
Romantic comedy film
Romantic comedy films are films with light-hearted, humorous plotlines, centered on romantic ideals such as that true love is able to surmount most obstacles. One dictionary definition is "a funny movie, play, or television program about a love story that ends happily"...
directed by Nicholas Stoller
Nicholas Stoller
Nicholas Stoller is an English–American screenwriter and director. He is known mainly for directing the 2008 comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and its 2010 spin-off/sequel, Get Him to the Greek.-Life and career:...
and starring Jason Segel
Jason Segel
Jason Jordan Segel is an American television and film actor, screenwriter, composer, puppeteer and musician, known for his work with producer Judd Apatow on the short-lived television series Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared, the films Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Knocked Up, I Love You, Man,...
, Kristen Bell
Kristen Bell
Kristen Anne Bell is an American actress. Although her first film role was an uncredited appearance in Polish Wedding, Bell previously acted in stage and musical productions. In 2001, she made her Broadway debut as Becky Thatcher in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer...
, Mila Kunis
Mila Kunis
Milena "Mila" Kunis is an American actress. Her work includes the role of Jackie Burkhart on the TV series That '70s Show and the voice of Meg Griffin on the animated series Family Guy...
and Russell Brand
Russell Brand
Russell Edward Brand is an English comedian, actor, columnist, singer, author and radio/television presenter.Brand achieved mainstream fame in the UK in 2004 for his role as host of Big Brother spin-off, Big Brother's Big Mouth. His first major film role was in the 2007 film St Trinians...
. The film, which was also written by Segel and co-produced by Judd Apatow
Judd Apatow
Judd Apatow is an American film producer, director, and screenwriter. He is well known for his work in comedy films, especially for films he has been involved with throughout the latter half of the 2000s. He is the founder of Apatow Productions, a film production company that also developed the...
, was released by Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
.
The story revolves around Peter Bretter, who is a music composer for a TV show that happens to feature his girlfriend, Sarah Marshall, in the lead role. After a 5 year relationship Sarah abruptly breaks up with Peter. Devastated by this event, he chooses to go on a vacation in Hawaii, in order to try to move forward with his life. Trouble ensues when he runs into his ex on the island as she is vacationing with her new boyfriend.
Filming began in April 2007 at the Turtle Bay Resort
Turtle Bay Resort
The Turtle Bay Resort is the major hotel on the North Shore of Oahu island in Hawaii.-Description:The resort is about a 50 minute drive from Honolulu, between Kahuku, Hawaii to the east and Kawela Bay, Hawaii to the west....
on the North Shore of Oahu Island in Hawaii. The film was released for North American theaters on April 18, 2008 and in the UK a week later on April 25, 2008.
Plot
Composer Peter Bretter (Jason SegelJason Segel
Jason Jordan Segel is an American television and film actor, screenwriter, composer, puppeteer and musician, known for his work with producer Judd Apatow on the short-lived television series Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared, the films Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Knocked Up, I Love You, Man,...
) is in a five-year relationship with actress Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell
Kristen Bell
Kristen Anne Bell is an American actress. Although her first film role was an uncredited appearance in Polish Wedding, Bell previously acted in stage and musical productions. In 2001, she made her Broadway debut as Becky Thatcher in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer...
), who stars in a CSI
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is an American crime drama television series, which premiered on CBS on October 6, 2000. The show was created by Anthony E. Zuiker and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer...
-like television show, Crime Scene: Scene of the Crime. One day, as Peter stands naked in their apartment (after dropping his towel from showering), Sarah announces that she is leaving him for someone else. Devastated, and unable to banish his grief through one-night stands, Peter takes a trip to Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
. The vacation, however, is ruined when he learns that Sarah and her new boyfriend Aldous Snow (Russell Brand
Russell Brand
Russell Edward Brand is an English comedian, actor, columnist, singer, author and radio/television presenter.Brand achieved mainstream fame in the UK in 2004 for his role as host of Big Brother spin-off, Big Brother's Big Mouth. His first major film role was in the 2007 film St Trinians...
) (lead singer of the English rock band, Infant Sorrow) are also guests of the resort. Taking pity on him, hotel concierge Rachel (Mila Kunis
Mila Kunis
Milena "Mila" Kunis is an American actress. Her work includes the role of Jackie Burkhart on the TV series That '70s Show and the voice of Meg Griffin on the animated series Family Guy...
) offers him an expensive suite for free in exchange for cleaning up the room himself.
Peter begins spending time with Rachel and starts to develop feelings for her. Meanwhile, the relationship between Sarah and Aldous begins to falter. Much of the discord is triggered by the news that Sarah’s TV show has been cancelled
Cancellation (television)
In television, cancellation refers to the termination of a program by a network, typically because of low viewership and/or unfavourable critical reviews. Another reason why television programs can be cancelled is to make room for new television programs...
, and Aldous is about to embark on a world tour. During a day of surf and sand Aldous and Peter run into each other and begin talking. Inadvertently, Aldous informs Peter that he and Sarah began having sex a full year before she broke up with Peter. When Peter confronts Sarah, she tells him she began feeling disconnected emotionally from him and she could not do anything to make their relationship work. Further exacerbating the situation is Sarah's obvious jealousy of the budding relationship between Peter and Rachel.
The situation comes to a head when Sarah, Aldous, Peter and Rachel share an awkward dinner together. Peter takes Rachel back to his hotel room and they begin to fool around. Sarah hears them through the wall and initiates sex with Aldous, moaning loudly for the benefit of the couple next door, and Rachel and Peter turn the situation into a game and become even louder. When Aldous realizes Sarah is clearly faking orgasm
Orgasm
Orgasm is the peak of the plateau phase of the sexual response cycle, characterized by an intense sensation of pleasure...
s to try to get a rise out of Peter, he stops the sex and tells her the trip was a mistake as she's clearly not over Peter. They bicker furiously and cruelly, prompting Aldous to announce that the relationship is over. In the other room, Peter and Rachel discuss how much they have enjoyed each other’s company and how the feelings have grown strong between them in such a short period of time.
The next morning, Peter encounters Aldous, and learns that he and Sarah have broken up and that he is flying back to England. Peter goes to Sarah's room to console her where she admits she still loves him and tries to rekindle their romance. The two start to engage in sexual activity, but Peter abruptly cuts it off because of his feelings for Rachel, and his now ambivalent feelings towards Sarah.
Peter immediately goes to Rachel to confess what happened, but she is hurt and demands that he leave and never contact her again. Obviously upset over the fight, Peter goes to a bar they frequented together and steals a humiliating topless photo of Rachel, posted in the men's room, taken while she was too drunk to consent and which the bar owner refuses to remove. Peter endures a beating from the bar's owner, but returns to the hotel and wordlessly gives her the photo before leaving again.
He then flies back to Los Angeles. After a period of sadness and self-loathing, he begins working on his Dracula puppet rock opera, A Taste for Love. He sends an invitation to Rachel for the opening night performance. Although extremely hesitant at first, Rachel eventually decides to attend. After the performance Rachel congratulates Peter and tells him she's looking into attending school in the area. She leaves so Peter can bask in the success of his show, but quickly returns to Peter's dressing room to tell him she misses him. Peter is in the midst of changing his clothes, and stands naked, while also in the process of trying to call Rachel on her cell phone. Surprised to see her, and naked and embarrassed (mirroring the beginning of the film) Peter tells her that he has missed her too. The film ends as they embrace and kiss.
Cast
- Jason SegelJason SegelJason Jordan Segel is an American television and film actor, screenwriter, composer, puppeteer and musician, known for his work with producer Judd Apatow on the short-lived television series Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared, the films Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Knocked Up, I Love You, Man,...
as Peter Bretter: A slobbish but well-meaning composer for the TV show, Crime Scene: Scene of the Crime. He is working on a rock opera involving puppets and based on DraculaDraculaDracula is an 1897 novel by Irish author Bram Stoker.Famous for introducing the character of the vampire Count Dracula, the novel tells the story of Dracula's attempt to relocate from Transylvania to England, and the battle between Dracula and a small group of men and women led by Professor...
called A Taste for Love. - Kristen BellKristen BellKristen Anne Bell is an American actress. Although her first film role was an uncredited appearance in Polish Wedding, Bell previously acted in stage and musical productions. In 2001, she made her Broadway debut as Becky Thatcher in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer...
as Sarah Marshall: A famous working actress for the TV show Crime Scene: Scene of the Crime who used to date Peter before leaving him for Aldous. - Mila KunisMila KunisMilena "Mila" Kunis is an American actress. Her work includes the role of Jackie Burkhart on the TV series That '70s Show and the voice of Meg Griffin on the animated series Family Guy...
as Rachel Jansen: A receptionist for the Hawaiian hotel Turtle Bay with whom Peter forms a relationship during his stay at the hotel. - Russell BrandRussell BrandRussell Edward Brand is an English comedian, actor, columnist, singer, author and radio/television presenter.Brand achieved mainstream fame in the UK in 2004 for his role as host of Big Brother spin-off, Big Brother's Big Mouth. His first major film role was in the 2007 film St Trinians...
as Aldous Snow: The eccentric rock star, who is Sarah Marshall's new boyfriend. The same character is later in Get Him to the GreekGet Him to the GreekGet Him to the Greek is a 2010 American comedy film written, produced, and directed by Nicholas Stoller and starring Jonah Hill and Russell Brand. The film was released on June 4, 2010. Get Him to the Greek is a spin-off sequel of Stoller's 2008 film Forgetting Sarah Marshall, reuniting director...
. - Bill HaderBill HaderWilliam "Bill" Hader is an American actor, comedian, producer and writer. He is best known for his work as a creative consultant on the hit show South Park and as a cast member on Saturday Night Live and for his supporting roles in comedy films such as Superbad, Hot Rod, Tropic Thunder,...
as Brian Bretter: Peter's stepbrother and best friend who usually criticizes him for the better. - Liz CackowskiLiz CackowskiLiz Cackowski is an American comedy writer and actress.-Career:Cackowski began her comedy career at The Second City in Chicago where she was discovered and hired by Saturday Night Live, where she worked as a writer from 2003-2006. Since leaving SNL she appeared in feature films such as Forgetting...
as Liz Bretter: Brian's wife who was his one and only girlfriend and who usually sneaks in on Brian's computer conversations. - Jack McBrayerJack McBrayerJack McBrayer is an American actor and comedian. He gained national exposure for his characters on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien"...
as Darald Braden: A religious, effeminate man who does not like certain aspects of sexual intercourse and is having trouble satisfying his new wife. - Maria ThayerMaria ThayerMaria Thayer is an American actress from Boring, Oregon, known for her roles as Wyoma in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Rory in Accepted and Tammi Littlenut in Strangers with Candy. In Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Thayer plays a Mormon newlywed on her honeymoon with her new husband, played by Jack...
as Wyoma Braden: The sex-hungry wife of Darald. - Jonah HillJonah HillJonah Hill Feldstein , known professionally as Jonah Hill, is an American actor, producer, screenwriter, and comedian. Hill is best known roles for his roles in Superbad, Knocked Up, and Get Him to the Greek. He made his theatrical debut in I Heart Huckabees, alongside Jason Schwartzman and Dustin...
as Matthew Van Der Wyk: A waiter at Turtle Bay and obsessive fan of Aldous who constantly does strange and random things. Aldous describes him as "an eccentric and confident young man." - Paul RuddPaul RuddPaul Stephen Rudd is an American actor and screenwriter. He has primarily appeared in comedies, and is known for his roles in the films Clueless, Wet Hot American Summer, Anchorman, Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Dinner for Schmucks, The Object of My...
as Chuck / Kunu A strange surfing instructor who often forgets people and who is 44 years of age by his own estimate. - Jason BatemanJason BatemanJason Kent Bateman is an American television and film actor. After appearing in several 1980s and 1990s sitcoms including It's Your Move, and The Hogan Family, Bateman came to prominence in the early 2000s for playing Michael Bluth on Arrested Development, for which he won a TV Land, a Golden...
as Animal Instincts Detective: A character on Sarah Marshall's latest show, Animal Instincts - William BaldwinWilliam BaldwinWilliam Joseph "Billy" Baldwin is an American actor, producer, and writer, known for his starring roles in such films as Flatliners , Backdraft , Sliver , Fair Game , Virus , Double Bang , as Johnny 13 in Danny Phantom , Art Heist , The Squid and the Whale , as himself...
as Himself / Det. Hunter Rush: In the film's universe, William Baldwin is the "hard-to-love" co-star on Sarah's show. He is referred to as "Billy Baldwin" and Peter briefly suspects him of having an affair with Sarah. - Kristen WiigKristen WiigKristen Carroll Wiig is an American film and television actress who currently appears as a cast member on Saturday Night Live. Wiig was a member of improvisational comedy troupe The Groundlings, and has appeared in several films and television series, including Bridesmaids, MacGruber, Flight of...
as Prana: A Yoga Instructor (Unrated Version) - Da'Vone McDonald as Dwayne: A bartender at Turtle Bay. Dwayne was originally from South-Central Los Angeles, and hated it there, until he moved to OahuOahuOahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
, where he learned to name over two hundred different kinds of fish. - Taylor Wily as Kemo: A cook at Turtle Bay.
- Branscombe RichmondBranscombe RichmondBranscombe Richmond is an American character actor and stuntman. He is sometimes credited in films as Richmond Branscombe, Ranscombe Richmon, Ranhome Quickman or Branscom Richmond....
as Keoki: The bartender who beats up Peter when he takes down Rachel's picture from the bar.
Filming
All filming locations were in the state of HawaiiHawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
and in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. While filming, lead actor Jason Segel told a New York Times interviewer that the naked break up scenes were based on a real life experience he had. The film features a great deal of improvised dialogue; according to director Nicholas Stoller, it's "60 or 70 percent scripted and then 30 or 40 percent improv".
Stoller stated that Judd Apatow
Judd Apatow
Judd Apatow is an American film producer, director, and screenwriter. He is well known for his work in comedy films, especially for films he has been involved with throughout the latter half of the 2000s. He is the founder of Apatow Productions, a film production company that also developed the...
was very involved in the casting process and the development of the script. Regarding the nudity in the film he added that the first draft of the script called for the (Peter Bretter) character to get dressed after the breakup, but he thought it would be funnier if the character stayed naked the entire time. However, he confirmed the picture of Mila Kunis used in the film was created on a computer and not real.
Critical reception
Forgetting Sarah Marshall has received positive reviews from numerous critics. Review aggregator Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
reports that 85% of 175 critics have given the film a positive review, with a rating average of 7.0 out of 10. Among Rotten Tomatoes' "Top Critics", which consists of popular and notable critics from the top newspapers, websites, television and radio programs, the film holds an overall approval rating of 89%, based on a sample of 37 reviews. The site's consensus is that "With ample laughs and sharp performances, Forgetting Sarah Marshall finds just the right mix of romantic and raunchy comedy." Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
reported the film had an average score of 67 out of 100, based on 37 reviews.
Matt Pais of the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
said it's "the kind of movie you could watch all day because, like a new flame, you can't get enough of its company and are just glad to see where it takes you." Richard Roeper
Richard Roeper
Richard E. Roeper is an American columnist and film critic for The Chicago Sun-Times and now a co-host on The Roe Conn Show on WLS-AM...
highly praised the film for its laugh-out-loud moments as well as its worthiness to be an instant classic and went as far as to say he would put it on his list of 50 favorite comedies of all time.
Other positive reviews come from Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
who gave the film a B+ and applauded "Jason Segel's riff on varieties of male bewilderment," and Mick LaSalle
Mick LaSalle
Mick LaSalle is an American Mick LaSalle is an [[United States|American]] Mick LaSalle is an [[United States|American]] [[film reviewer] and the author of two books on pre-[[Motion Picture Production Code|Hays Code]] Hollywood...
of the San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
, who wrote "Segel's breakthrough movie, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, deserves to ride the wave of the latest, hottest micro-trend in pictures: the romantic comedy for guys."
Box Office
The film was promoted with a "teaser" billboard campaign, featuring the text "I hate Sarah Marshall" and the URL for the film's website.In its opening weekend, the film grossed $17.7 million in 2,798 theaters in the United States and Canada, ranking #2 at the box office behind The Forbidden Kingdom, and averaging $6,335 per theater in the US and per theater in Canada. It opened behind other Apatow productions such as Superbad, Knocked Up
Knocked Up
Knocked Up is a 2007 American romantic comedy drama film co-produced, written, and directed by Judd Apatow. Starring Seth Rogen, Katherine Heigl, Paul Rudd, and Leslie Mann, the film follows the repercussions of a drunken one-night stand between Rogen's slacker character and Heigl's just-promoted...
, The 40-Year-Old Virgin
The 40-Year-Old Virgin
The 40-Year-Old Virgin is a 2005 American buddy comedy film about a middle-aged man's journey to finally have sex. The film was written and directed by Judd Apatow and co-written by its lead star, Steve Carell, though the film itself features a great deal of improvised dialogue...
and Talladega Nights, but ahead of his recent films Walk Hard and Drillbit Taylor
Drillbit Taylor
Drillbit Taylor is a 2008 comedy film starring Owen Wilson as the eponymous character and based on an original idea by John Hughes. It was directed by Steven Brill and the screenplay was written by Kristofor Brown and Seth Rogen. Paramount Pictures released the film on March 21, 2008.Drillbit...
.
As of February 2009, Forgetting Sarah Marshall has grossed an estimated total of $105.2 million worldwide; $63.2 million in North America and $42 million in other territories.
Home media
The DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
and Blu-ray disc was released on September 30, 2008. At the DVD sales chart, Forgetting Sarah Marshall opened at #2 and sold 652,000 units, translating to $12,905,492 in revenue. As of (November 2009) 1,785,744 DVD units have been sold, acquiring revenue of $29,145,295. This does not include Blu-ray sales/DVD rentals.
It was released in a single-disc DVD edition, a three-disc collector's DVD edition, a two-disc Blu-ray edition, and the Ultimate Unrated Comedy Collection containing the collectors' editions of Forgetting Sarah Marshall, The 40-Year-Old Virgin
The 40-Year-Old Virgin
The 40-Year-Old Virgin is a 2005 American buddy comedy film about a middle-aged man's journey to finally have sex. The film was written and directed by Judd Apatow and co-written by its lead star, Steve Carell, though the film itself features a great deal of improvised dialogue...
and Knocked Up
Knocked Up
Knocked Up is a 2007 American romantic comedy drama film co-produced, written, and directed by Judd Apatow. Starring Seth Rogen, Katherine Heigl, Paul Rudd, and Leslie Mann, the film follows the repercussions of a drunken one-night stand between Rogen's slacker character and Heigl's just-promoted...
on either DVD or Blu-ray Disc. It was released on DVD in Australia (region 4) on August 20, 2008 in a single and 2-Disc Unforgettable Edition and was also released on Blu-ray disc in Australia on November 5, 2008.
Music
Jason Segel and Lyle Workman have written music for the film, which includes music by Infant Sorrow and a song from the Dracula musical. Eric CarmenEric Carmen
Eric Howard Carmen is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and keyboardist.He scored numerous hit songs across the 1970s and 1980s, first as a member of the Raspberries , and then with his solo career, including hits such as "All By Myself", "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again", "She Did It",...
, Blondie
Blondie (band)
Blondie is an American rock band, founded by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American New Wave and punk scenes of the mid-1970s...
and Kenny Loggins
Kenny Loggins
During the next decade, Loggins recorded so many successful songs for film soundtracks that he was referred to as, King of the Movie Soundtrack.He began with "I'm Alright" , "Mr. Night", and "Lead the Way" from Caddyshack...
have also been heard on the previews for the film.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack of Forgetting Sarah Marshall was released on April 22, 2008.Several songs are featured in the film that were not included on the soundtrack, including "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now
Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now
"Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" is a single by The Smiths that reached #10 on the UK Singles Chart in June 1984 before its inclusion on the compilation album, Hatful of Hollow...
" by The Smiths
The Smiths
The Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...
and the version of "Nothing Compares 2 U
Nothing Compares 2 U
"Nothing Compares 2 U" is a pop song written by American recording artist Prince for one of his side-projects, The Family. However, it wasn't until Sinéad O'Connor recorded her version for the album I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got when it became a worldwide hit, topping charts in 15 countries,...
" by Sinéad O'Connor
Sinéad O'Connor
Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor is an Irish singer-songwriter. She rose to fame in the late 1980s with her debut album The Lion and the Cobra and achieved worldwide success in 1990 with a cover of the song "Nothing Compares 2 U"....
, both of which are heard in the background during the scene in which Peter's brother deletes all of Peter's photos. "Amber
Amber (song)
"Amber" is a 2001 single from the band 311 off their album From Chaos. Focusing more on their reggae roots, the song is about Nick Hexum's then fiance Nicole Scherzinger...
" by 311
311 (band)
311 is an American rock band from Omaha, Nebraska. The band was formed in 1988 by vocalist/rhythm guitarist Nick Hexum, lead guitarist Jim Watson , bassist Aaron "P-Nut" Wills and drummer Chad Sexton...
can be heard in the background during the bar scene after Peter and Rachel's first date, as well as "Playa Azul" from Los Amigos Invisibles
Los Amigos Invisibles
Los Amigos Invisibles is a multiple-Grammy nominated and Latin Grammy winning Venezuelan band that plays a blend of disco, acid jazz and funk mixed with Latin rhythms...
. "Move Your Feet
Move Your Feet
"Move Your Feet" is a song by Danish pop duo Junior Senior. The song, recorded in 2002, was Junior Senior's biggest hit, reaching #3 in the United Kingdom and #20 in Australia, and played at dance clubs the world over. The song appears on the album D-D-Don't Don't Stop the Beat along with a live...
" by Junior Senior
Junior Senior
Junior Senior was a pop musical duo from Denmark. The duo consisted of Jesper "Junior" Mortensen and Jeppe "Senior" Laursen ....
is briefly played in background in the scene at the beginning when they are showing Access Hollywood clips. Another song not featured on the soundtrack is "Heavy Lifting" from New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
band Ambulance Ltd
Ambulance LTD
Ambulance LTD is an indie rock group formed in Spanish Harlem, New York in 2000. The band was founded by singer and guitarist Michael Di Liberto and Dave Longstreth of Ohio. They were joined by Marcus Congleton, who brought in Andrew Haskell , Aaron Nevezie , and Darren Beckett...
.
Awards and nominations
Forgetting Sarah Marshall was nominated for five awards for the 2008 Teen Choice AwardsTeen Choice Awards
The Teen Choice Awards, are an annual awards show that air on the Fox cable channel, that honor the year's biggest biggest achievements in music, movies, sports, television, fashion and more, voted by teen viewers aged 14 through 17. Winners receive an authentic full size surfboard designed with...
, though it did not win any awards. The nominations were:
- Movie, Breakout Female: Kristen Bell
- Movie, Breakout Female: Mila Kunis
- Movie, Breakout Male: Jason Segel
- Movie, Romantic Comedy
- Movie, Actress Comedy: Kristen Bell
On The Comedy Festival Presents: Funniest Movies of the Year 2008 on TBS, Forgetting Sarah Marshall was voted "The Funniest Film of 2008".
Follow-up spin-off
A spin-off released June 4, 2010 reuniting director Stoller and producer Judd Apatow with stars Russell Brand and Jonah Hill. Brand reprises his role of Aldous Snow, while Hill plays an entirely new character. Bell also briefly reprises her role as Sarah Marshall where she appears in a promo for a new NBC drama, Blind Medicine where she portrays a visually impaired nurse.External links
Fictional websites created for the film