'Forgetting Sarah Marshall' relies on nudity and raunch

PETER BRETTER, the leading character in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," the latest in the series of Judd Apatow raunchy, naughty-boy comedies, is much in need of pants.

The movie opens with poor, perplexed Peter, played by Jason Segel, getting the heave-ho from blond priss Sarah Marshall, played by Kristen Bell. Sarah is the star of a TV series called "Crime Scene: Scene of the Crime," for which he writes the monotoned music.

They've been dating for five years, he holding her purse at premieres while she poses for pictures. He's naked when she arrives to give him the bad news, and he insists upon staying naked because, according to the wayward script, he feels it will truly be all over if he puts on clothes. Thanks more to the bawdiness than the wit, there are big laughs here.

Judd Apatow, a big man in comedy, was only the producer of "Sarah Marshall," yet the promoters are making much of putting his brand name on it. It features a number of his disciples, all of whom are hailed as "the people who gave us 'Knocked Up,' 'The 40-Year-Old Virgin' and 'Superbad' " - all of which made a fortune at the box office and had actors who would work on the cheap.

"Forgetting Sarah Marshall" illustrates what can be called the Apatow formula. All these movies are about the weakness, in both head and body, of American males. They all picture American men as being boys who long, most of all, to "land" a female and not have to pay for it by either marriage or electric bills.

Bawdiness that pushes even the R-rated limit of vulgarity is the real selling point, but Apatow's writers cover their tracks by adding a bit of sweetness that will allow girls, even grown-up women, to go to these movies too.

The formula is a winning one. Obviously most guys aren't insulted by the ploy. Most of them are ready to admit to being would-be lechers who would rather be out on their own in the pursuit of women rather than tied down to supper at 5:30 every night. On the other hand, their girlfriends can warm up to the likes of "Knocked Up" and "Superbad" because they can say, derisively, "See, that's you." At the same time, these movies give a last-reel nod to the gals by having the guys neatly captured and committed - probably with a mortgage on the house.

Breaking up may be hard to do, but this script, which was written by the actor in the lead, makes it rather painless. Initially, he can't have sex without crying, loudly. He takes an escapist vacation in Hawaii. To his shock, Sarah Marshall is staying at the same hotel with her new flame, Aldous Snow, a rock star who wears tight leather pants and supposedly can bed any woman he wants.

The surprise, if there is one in this naughty-boy formula, is that the picture is stolen completely by a series of supporting performers. Segel, a vet of TV's "Freaks and Geeks," is not very appealing in the central role because he isn't nerdish or vulnerable enough to really elicit pity. He is, though, the most willing leading man to do the full monty since Will Ferrell.

The best and funniest performance is, surprisingly, that of Russell Brand as the egotistical rock star. Brand is a stand-up comic in England. He takes what would likely have been a villainous second banana and turns it into a comic highlight.

Also scoring delightfully is the olive-eyed beauty Mila Kunis as the hotel receptionist who initially takes pity on Segel but then grows to like him. Kunis is not only a great beauty, she adds sass and a temper to the part, making her a good deal more than mere decoration.

The episodic nature of the film reflects the inexperience of new director Nicholas Stoller, who sacrifices structure for a scattershot of laughs wherever he can get them. Running a bit too long, the finale - depicting a rock version of "Dracula" performed by puppets - is funny but superfluous.

If boys ever grow up, Apatow and his cronies will be out of business. In the meantime, "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" is likely to get some loud yuck-yucks at theaters this weekend.

Mal Vincent, (757) 446-2347, mal.vincent@pilotonline.com.