Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Judd Apatow pretty much owns comedy in America right now. Whether he's writing and directing or just producing, his films are becoming instantly identifiable: 'Freaks And Geeks' alumni, romantic subplots complete with musical cues, Paul Rudd, sex jokes, sex scenes, classic rise/fall plot arcs, montages, and happy endings. I pretty much know what I'm getting into when I sit down with these, but I've seen enough good romantic comedies to know when I'm watching slop. There's only one reason why Apatow's films (along with Kevin Smith's) do have big audiences: they are funny and you know exactly where the jokes are.
Like Seth Rogen in 'Knocked Up' and Jonah Hill in 'Superbad', Apatow gives his old 'Freaks And Geeks' pal Jason Segel the spolight in the new 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall'. Continuing in the tradition of narcissistic sad sacks who write films about wounded good guys who just need the love of a girl to fix them, and then cast themselves in the lead role (see Matt Damon in 'Good Will Hunting', Zak Braff in 'Garden State', and Vincent Gallo in 'Buffalo 66'); Segel casts himself as Peter, a lazy musician and all-around everyguy who gets dumped by his TV star girlfriend, Sarah Marshall (future Mrs. Mathis and 'Veronica Mars'' Kristen Bell). Empty sex with gorgeous girls doesn't help his sadness and he's soon off to a Hawaiian resort where, you guessed it, Sarah is also staying with her new Euro-trash, rock star boyfriend. The good nature of the locals, the sympathy of the hotel desk clerk (future Mrs. Mathis and 'That '70's Show's Mila Kunis), and the beautiful Hawaiian setting slowly help to cure Peter's devastation. Of course, things go wrong; and the final act is spent suspending all belief so that we can have a little drama before (PLOT SPOILER) the happy ending.
You'll get what you probably came here for. 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall' does have its funny moments, but it also has its awkward attempts at humor that fall flat on their face. '30 Rock's Jack McBrayer and 'Strangers With Candy' alum Maria Thayer botch an already unfunny subplot about two sexually clueless newlyweds and the always reliable Paul Rudd and Jonah Hill are largely wasted as local resort tools. There's so many sex-oriented jokes and dangling penis's that you can almost hear the balloon bursting. You can't blame a gifted humorist for wanting to make films that are easy to watch, but you can't help resenting his success.