Knocked Up

Judd Apatow Again Fashions Gimmick Into Gold in Uproarious ‘Forgetting Sarah Marshall’

HollywoodChicago.com — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 09:00:37 -0700

CHICAGO – After being blitzed by an onslaught of attention-demanding advertising that begged the question “who is Sarah Marshall?” even before you realized it’s a film, anticipation was ravenous.

Kristen Bell as Sarah Marshall in “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”.
Photo credit: IMDb

It became nothing short of voracious upon learning it’s backed by producer Judd Apatow of “Superbad,” “Knocked Up,” “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby,” “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” and “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy” fame (also with high hopes for his “Pineapple Express,” which opens on Aug. 8, 2008).

Through his Apatow Productions company, Apatow has made beaucoup bucks and a mountainous name by banding together the same stooges time and time again.

In “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” we’re treated to the return of Bill Hader and Jonah Hill (both in Apatow’s “Superbad” and “Knocked Up” together).

While it’s still early in the year and few films have stood out to date, “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” indeed delivers on its hype as the funniest comedy so far in 2008.

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Apatow has once again fashioned what could have been cheesy gimmick into delicious gold. In a telltale sign of its riotous good time, Chicago critics have even been promising to return on opening weekend for a second paid viewing with friends.

While first-time filmmaking talent is often a precarious, hit-or-miss gamble, it pays off in spades this time.

The film is written by first-time writer Jason Segel (who features himself in “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” as main-character Peter Bretter – and often buck naked, too) and directed by first-time director Nicholas Stoller (who wrote 2005’s “Fun With Dick and Jane”).

While Segel’s writing valiantly laughs you out of your chair all throughout the film, his starring role within his own words takes some time to earn your trust. Up until about halfway through, I kept questioning whether he was tragically miscast for the lead.

His big, teddy-bear demeanor and charming naïveté, though, wins you over by the climax. Here’s a small taste of some of his written nuggets of gold, too:

Matthew (played by Jonah Hill): “I have a question for you real quick. What did you think of my demo? Did you get it?”

Aldous Snow (played by Russell Brand): “I was gonna listen to that, but then – um – I just carried on living my life.”

Jason Segel (left) and Kristen Bell in “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”.
Photo credit: IMDb

Just as much as Segel stars in the film as Peter, Kristen Bell equally co-stars in “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” as the siren everyone has been talking about before even arriving to the theaters in droves: Sarah Marshall.

Bell (who played Veronica Mars in “Veronica Mars”) burns up the screen every second she’s on it and is cast in the comedy with perfection.

The Ukrainian Mila Kunis – who you’d know as Jackie Burkhart in “That ‘70s Show” – is a wholesome addition who’s part saint and part sinner. Bill Hader as Peter’s brother, Brian Bretter, again rocks the casbah in his portrayal of the advice-spewing, Webcam-coaching sibling.

Paul Rudd (also in “Knocked Up”) as Chuck the surf-lesson guy is wonderfully way, way out there.

Russell Brand in “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”.
Photo credit: IMDb

Jonah Hill is hysterically written in as a waiter named Matthew who not-so-subtly has a professional man crush on the unanticipated diamond in the film’s rough: Russell Brand.

Brand completely oozes himself into the eccentrically carefree, libidinous rock star named Aldous Snow who scoops up Sarah Marshall after she bulldozes Peter Bretter’s heart.

As Peter mourns the loss of his girlfriend and sees his confidence swell, he falls into the lap of Mila Kunis while she’s working at a Hawaiian resort.

Though from the text typed in this review it’d sound catastrophically lame, Peter even woos you with the distinctly unusual and decidedly novel concept of a Dracula rock-band puppet show.

While “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” in tagged with lots of puff and catchphrasing – including “a comedy about getting dumped and taking it like a man” and “the ultimate romantic disaster movie” – the film’s ultimately and indisputably one of the most entertaining ways you could spend 112 minutes.

“Forgetting Sarah Marshall” opened on April 18, 2008.

By ADAM FENDELMAN
Editor-in-Chief
HollywoodChicago.com
adam@hollywoodchicago.com

‘Juno’ the First LiveJournal, Blogger Film; Writer Diablo Cody a Standout Star

HollywoodChicago.com — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 20:30:03 -0700

AUSTIN, Texas – No one says anything plainly in “Juno”. Hyper clever, hyper literate and hyper pop savvy, it tells a light story of teenage pregnancy in a package of verbose middle classiness.

Ellen Page (left) and Olivia Thirlby in “Juno”.
Photo courtesy of IMDb
Furthering the influence of the Internet on filmmaking in the 21st century, “Juno” has hyper-thought cleverness and the distinct personality of voice that comes from the personal blogging set. It’s the first LiveJournal or Blogger film.

That’s not entirely odd, though, since 2007’s unjustly maligned “Hot Rod” could’ve been the first feature-length YouTube movie. The dialogue in “Juno” doesn’t just call out to be read. It’s like hypertext that calls to be clicked on.

Under the razor-thin direction of Jason Reitman, “Juno” – unlike “Hot Rod” or “Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters” – is a pure movie. It dispenses any obtuseness and has the instincts of an audience pleaser.

Where an average movie about pregnancy turns its water-breaking scene into a dramatic, third-act starter (which even “Knocked Up” did), this film’s screenplay (scribed by hilarious blogger and memoirist Diablo Cody) has its eponymous character signal a pop-culture reference double threat: “Thundercats are go!” (This is a combination of Thundercats and Thunderbirds.)

Ellen Page and Michael Cera in “Juno”.
Photo courtesy of IMDb
The movie has two standout stars – Ellen Page as Juno and Cody as the screenwriter – while Reitman (himself the distinct and clever voice behind “Thank You for Smoking”) wisely steps aside for a one-off and applies a perfect, hands-off directorial approach.

He sprinkles certain moments of gravity here and there.

As for Page, I’m not even sure she’s a talented comedienne. She just has the range to act that funny. While there’s none of the same intensity she brought to “Hard Candy” here, there’s still some of the (barely used) tenderness she brought to Kitty Pryde in “X-Men: The Last Stand”.

In “Juno,” she never falls into smugness despite spending most of her screen time being a wise girl. That’s probably because – in this film’s rich screenplay – she’s never necessarily the smartest person in the room. Each adeptly cast role gives a character a speech or moment to shine.

Director Jason Reitman in “Juno”.
Photo courtesy of IMDb
Allison Janney’s nail-obsessed stepmother has the hilarious dressing down of an ultrasound technician while J.K. Simmons has the funny reaction to learning who knocked up his daughter: “Next time I see him, I’m punching him in the wiener.”

That would be Michael Cera, who is still earning his own career-launching lauds from “Superbad”. Despite having the least amount of quotable lines, he milks awkward stutters and sweetness better than anyone his age.

The couple played by Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman – in what at first seems like a superfluous subplot – lends the movie most of its gravity. Garner’s baby-lacking matriarch has her best moments when Juno tells her she’s lucky not to be pregnant.

The gem is the turn by Bateman, who tweaks the sarcastic authority of his “Arrested Development” persona into a surprisingly bottom-line, to-be father who never got over the night his band opened for the Melvins. When Bateman, Garner, Simmons and Page first meet on screen, it’s the film’s centerpiece scene.

Jennifer Garner (left), Jason Bateman and Ellen Page in “Juno”.
Photo courtesy of IMDb
Again, this movie belongs to Cody from her blogging. She’s originally from Chicago, by the way, but moved to Minnesota to live with her Internet boyfriend – Jonny – who’s now her husband. Seriously. They now live in Los Angeles.

Cody is used to clever wordplay to pad earnest moments of connection and soul bearing. Formerly a brief stripper, Cody’s long-running blog (formerly here) gained national exposure with her memoir “Candy Girl: A Year in the Life of an Unlikely Stripper”.

While the book and blog are almost equally as entertaining (if a little overwritten), Cody’s style – when applied to dialogue – has a leaner, tongue-jumping humanism to it.

Reitman gives generously selfless direction. He finds the widely sought comedy light touch that’s essential here. How many times have you seen a clever movie where the mumble mouths and lazy eyes of actors are passed off as dry wit?

From right to left, Olivia Thirlby, Allison Janney and Ellen Page in “Juno”.
Photo courtesy of IMDb
I recently screened “Juno” at the Austin Film Festival where both Reitman and Cody introduced the film.

Reitman said he remembered the day he first read “Juno”. As he introduced her, he told the audience: “You’ll remember this as the day you met Diablo Cody.” Cody promptly replied: “That is the stupidest intro I’ve ever heard.”

Cody could go either way from here. Delivered by inferior actors or directors, her dialogue could quickly grow annoying and go the way of Zach Braff’s blog. Then again, she could be next Kevin Smith.

Reitman himself is too good a writer to only direct.

Page’s range is once in a generation. She’ll be a draw for anything she stars in from here on out. For all these diverse talents, I ultimately came away from “Juno” just wanting these three to get together and make many, many more movies.

Juno is slated to open in limited U.S. theaters (including Chicago) on Dec. 14, 2007. We selected this film as one to watch for on Sept. 14 Our Oscarman rating for this movie currently ties with our highest films.

By Shane Hazen
Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com