Why not now? It's from the Judd Apatow hit factory, it's got stars of two of TV's best shows; one current, one dearly departed (Jason Segel, How I Met Your Mother and Kristen Bell, Veronica Mars). And it's one of the most promising films of the spring.
Here's the red-band trailer as well as IGN's recap of the cast's visit to San Francisco's WonderCon

I'm not really crazy about the actors at all; although, I liked Jason Segel on Freaks and Geeks. I really want to see it for some reason though.

I'm a little apprehensive on how much he based it on his relationship with Linda Cardellini though. I still like her (even though I can't believe how much older she looks compared to her Freaks and Geeks days when I recently viewed Grandma's Boy), so I don't want it to be that obvious that the character of Sarah Marshall is based on her especially if Marshall is painted in a very negative light.

I caught a screening this past week. It's a decent film with consistent laughs, but not perfect either (tomk will say I'm some right winger for finding it funny.) There are a few story issues that take a few too many liberties with reality.

The supporting cast (Hill, Rudd, Hader) are funny in their scenes (not always necessary to the story, mind you.) I'd never heard of Russell Brand before, but he's good at playing the aloof rock star. Jack McBrayer is playing his usual Kenneth the Page character, and he gets some of the biggest laughs.

But this is Jason Segel's movie. Your opinion of it will be based on whether or not you find his crying and nudity funny. He also has an amazing song number that is so off the wall. The movie is a solid B. Not anything awards caliber. Not anything that will appeal to people who already hate these kinds of movies. But for its target audience, it's funny, and not just a male-skewing comedy.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Professor Chaos,

quote:

Originally posted by Mrs. Daryl Zero:
I'm a little apprehensive on how much he based it on his relationship with Linda Cardellini though. I still like her (even though I can't believe how much older she looks compared to her Freaks and Geeks days when I recently viewed Grandma's Boy), so I don't want it to be that obvious that the character of Sarah Marshall is based on her especially if Marshall is painted in a very negative light.

Based on what I saw, I don't think it's about her, as much as it is his reaction to her. There might be veiled personality traits that only she would know. But this isn't like Lost in Translation, where the characters are blatantly Spike Jonze & Cameron Diaz.

The Sarah Marshall character is viewed negatively sometimes, but she has a decent scene explaining why. Kristen Bell provides most of the dramatic content (telling us why our protagonist is an *******.)

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Professor Chaos,

Such language! ;-) - here's the teaser poster...)

This message has been edited. Last edited by: PaulHan,

Since it's a Team Apatow production, I will be there opening weekend. I do think the trailer isn't as strong as I would have liked it to be, but I still think this film will do very well.

A boatload of reviews from SXSW (South by Southwest Festival) in Austin, TX as the movie was screened there last night and the cast was present and accounted for.

Cinematical
Tunaflix (5th paragraph)
FirstShowing.net
Variety
The Movie Blog
Aint it Cool News

Exclusive clips: Entertainment Weekly, and MTV ("When Cell Phones Attack")

Cloverfield-esque viral marketing: I Love (soon to be Hate) Sarah Marshall and Sarah Marshall Fan.com

This is really more for PaulHan than anybody else, but Richard Roeper just declared Forgetting Sarah Marshall is one of the 50 best comedies he's ever seen
http://youtube.com/watch?v=BmBR6_-SNrA

This looks decent. Some of the jokes in the trailer seem to be trying too hard to be Apatow-esque dialogue (a la the "Merman" line)

After Richard Roeper's rave, I absolutely cannot wait to see this.

Yeah, MissyGal. After watching that, I still stand by my previous comment, but either this is going to be extremely overhyped, or the trailer doesn't do this comedy justice.

quote:

Originally posted by MissyGal:
After Richard Roeper's rave, I absolutely cannot wait to see this.

YOU MEAN the critic who put "Superbad" but NOT "There Will Be Blood" in his top 10 for 2007? Yeah, that's an irresistibly compelling endorsement alright...

quote:

Originally posted by tomk:

quote:

Originally posted by MissyGal:
After Richard Roeper's rave, I absolutely cannot wait to see this.

YOU MEAN the critic who put "Superbad" but NOT "There Will Be Blood" in his top 10 for 2007? Yeah, that's an irresistibly compelling endorsement alright...

Are you telling me that if he supported one of your top choices, Tomk, that you wouldn't sing his praises? Why do I find that hard to believe?

I did like Scott Phillips' expression, though, when Roeper said "one of the top 50 comedies." Phillips liked it, it seemed, but not that much.

quote:

Originally posted by Dr. McPhearson:

quote:

Originally posted by tomk:

quote:

Originally posted by MissyGal:
After Richard Roeper's rave, I absolutely cannot wait to see this.

YOU MEAN the critic who put "Superbad" but NOT "There Will Be Blood" in his top 10 for 2007? Yeah, that's an irresistibly compelling endorsement alright...

Are you telling me that if he supported one of your top choices, Tomk, that you wouldn't sing his praises? Why do I find that hard to believe?

I did like Scott Phillips' expression, though, when Roeper said "one of the top 50 comedies." Phillips liked it, it seemed, but not that much.

Richard Roeper's Top Ten for 2007:

1. Michael Clayton

2. No Country For Old Men

3. The Lookout

4. Juno

5. American Gangster

6. Gone Baby Gone

7. Zodiac

8. Superbad

9. Once

10. Paris, je t’aime

Of those films, I'd say 5, or perhaps only 4, merit inclusion, but not in that order. So, only 40-50% right? Not particularly good odds.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: tomk,

I've mellowed a bit towards Roeper; but this is the guy who said there were 'too many characters' in TLOTR, and also commented that The Fellowship of The Ring seemed 'complete'.

quote:

Originally posted by Dr. McPhearson:
Yeah, MissyGal. After watching that, I still stand by my previous comment, but either this is going to be extremely overhyped, or the trailer doesn't do this comedy justice.

I'm not really sure about Roeper's record because I don't really follow his reviews (other than I know he had In America as his number one film one year), but I agree that either this is going to be extremely overhyped or that the trailer doesn't do it justice. I am obviously hoping it's the latter since I plan on seeing it. Of course, I do hate when trailers put all the funny clips in the trailer, but if this is as funny as Roeper says, I think the trailer could have been put together better since it's okay but pretty forgettable.

Anyhow, I am also glad that he gave Mila Kunis some props because I was worried how she would make the transition to movies. I've only ever seen her in That 70s Show and one clip from Get Over It, and I was worried that she would be the weakest link since she could sometimes be annoying on That 70s Show, which I didn't know was due to a weakness in her acting or just a weakness in the script especially after that show jumped the shark multiple times.

quote:

Originally posted by tomk:

quote:

Originally posted by Dr. McPhearson:

quote:

Originally posted by tomk:

quote:

Originally posted by MissyGal:
After Richard Roeper's rave, I absolutely cannot wait to see this.

YOU MEAN the critic who put "Superbad" but NOT "There Will Be Blood" in his top 10 for 2007? Yeah, that's an irresistibly compelling endorsement alright...

Are you telling me that if he supported one of your top choices, Tomk, that you wouldn't sing his praises? Why do I find that hard to believe?

I did like Scott Phillips' expression, though, when Roeper said "one of the top 50 comedies." Phillips liked it, it seemed, but not that much.

Richard Roeper's Top Ten for 2007:

1. Michael Clayton

2. No Country For Old Men

3. The Lookout

4. Juno

5. American Gangster

6. Gone Baby Gone

7. Zodiac

8. Superbad

9. Once

10. Paris, je t’aime

Of those films, I'd say 5, or perhaps only 4, merit inclusion, but not in that order. So, only 40-50% right? Not particularly good odds.

What do you mean 4 or 5 merit inclusion? Because it's Roeper's list, all merit inclusion. Just because he liked 4 or 5 films you didn't, doesn't mean they don't deserve to be on his list.

Roeper's list is in line with most syndicated critics.

If you're not going to take him seriously, it should be because he threw his arms in the air, pledging his undying love for a B+ mainstream comedy. That was Roeper just pining for a slot in the commercials.

"Oh ****, Roger's not coming back. Better attract attention to myself NOW"

quote:

Originally posted by Mrs. Daryl Zero:
I'm not really crazy about the actors at all; although, I liked Jason Segel on Freaks and Geeks. I really want to see it for some reason though.

I'm a little apprehensive on how much he based it on his relationship with Linda Cardellini though. I still like her (even though I can't believe how much older she looks compared to her Freaks and Geeks days when I recently viewed Grandma's Boy), so I don't want it to be that obvious that the character of Sarah Marshall is based on her especially if Marshall is painted in a very negative light.

In EW's current issue, Segel says he denies it was based on his relationship with Cardellini.

I'm so sick of the Sarah Marshall ads all over the place. It really looks like a boring, cliche comedy.