My wife and I took a chance on this and rented it when we couldn't find anything else. We haven't seen any other Apatow films -- they all looked a little too adolescent for our tastes. We had read some good reviews of this, though, so we gave it a shot. It was a real surprise -- very clever, well-written, and genuinely funny. Great cast, and all give excellent performances. Lots of real talent went into this. A very enjoyable movie.

Partway through this movie I was tempted to stop it, but I'm glad I didn't. This is a movie that starts good, has a wandering middle section, but a strong, satisfying finish. The story is one most people can relate to - a guy gets dumped, tries to forget his ex but can't get away from her, and manages to find someone else. The part where I almost gave up on it was around where Jason Segel's character was breaking down in scenes which were intended to be funny, but at times just felt sad. I enjoy comedies which include their share of drama, but these scenes felt too forced. It seemed like some of those scenes stretched on for too long or borderline-funny gags were repeated too much. The movie does still have its share of funny scenes, like most of Apatow's films.

The scenes with the Dracula puppet musical were quite funny and the ending was rather touching. I will also give the movie credit for being one of the few daring enough to include male frontal nudity. Movies have no problem with having all the violence in the world but shy away from any nudity except graphic sex scenes. Here's an example of where nudity can be used in a story without being gratuitous.

The story line of "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" is nothing completely new or all that complex. The movie starts off with Peter Bretter, played by Jason Segel, who ends up getting broken up by Sarah Marshall, played by Kristen Bell, his celebrity girlfriend of 5 years. I thought that I was going to see a movie that has been done a million times and will laugh at a few dirty jokes. Surprisingly enough, Jason Segel knows his way around writing and acting. For a man who has never played a lead character or written his own screenplay he was very impressive.

One thing that not everyone realizes is that the full frontal nudity scene was not in the movie just for laughs. We have him nude in the beginning because Sarah has completely stripped him of everything and she couldn't accept who he really is, his true nakedness. And if you watch the movie (I don't want to spoil it too much) you will see this motif happen again later in the film. Yes, it is very funny to see Peter standing naked while he is getting dumped, but it also served a purpose.

Throughout the film we get witty and fresh characters that continue to make us laugh. The bar tender from South Central always stirs up laughs and the Christian couple on their honeymoon will have you grabbing your sides. Not to mention the incredible character of Aldous Snow played by Russel Brand. I know many people are not a fan of Brand, but my friends and I just can't get enough of him. His amazing improv throughout the film and ridiculous attitude is all part of his humor.

If some of you are asking how it stands up to the other comedies of the year, I must say FSM trumps all. Tropic Thunder is a close second for me, but the closeness that this will have with people that have gone through difficult breakups will have them laughing a bit more.

Last thing I want to say is the three disc collectors edition is well worth every penny. All the special features are hilarious and definitely worth the view. They share stories of Russel Brand's first audition to how Jason felt watching his nude scenes with his mom and little sister. We also get some insight from Nick Stoller and how he felt directing his first film and being part of the Apatow gang. The best part about this DVD, and should be true about all other Unrated editions, is that you can choose to watch either the unrated or theatrical version. Personally I prefer the theatrical version because it flows better, but give the unrated a view for their extra jokes. "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" is a film that will not soon be forgotten.