Review by Leonard Norwitz
Studio:
Theatrical: Universal Pictures
Blu-ray: Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Disc:
Region: All
Runtime: 118 Min
Chapters: 20
Size: 50 GB
Case: Standard Amaray Blu-ray case
Release date: September 30, 2008
Video:
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Resolution: 1080p
Video codec: AVC
Audio:
English 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio; Spanish & French DTS
5.1
Subtitles:
English, English SDH, Spanish & French
Extras:
• Disc 2: Digital Copy
• Original & Extended/Unrated Versions
• Commentary for both Rated & Unrated Versions of the
Movie by Director Nick Stoller, Producers Rodney Rothman
& Shauna Robertson, Writer/Star Jason Segel & Cast
Members Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis, Russell Brand & Jack
McBrayer
• 11 Deleted & Extended Scenes (19:24)
• Line-O-Rama (same scenes with different jokes) (7:49)
• Gag Reel: Outtakes (5:44)
• A Taste for Love: A behind-the-scenes look at the
puppets (6:17)
• Puppet Break-Up: Behind-the-scenes with Jason & the
puppets (2:29)
• Sex-O-Rama: Unrated Montage of Jason's Sex Scene
(2:42)
• Drunk-O-Rama: Montage of Jason's Drunken Hawaiian
Night (2:29)
• Russell Brand: Aldous Snow, the British Rock Star
(5:55)
• Music Video: We've Got To Do Something
• Crime Scene: Promos for Sarah's TV show
• Video Diaries: 20 days of shooting
• more . . .
Overview of the Ultimate
Unrated Comedy Collection:
On September 30, Universal will release their "Ultimate
Unrated Comedy Collection" (where "ultimate" modifies
unrated, not comedy), comprising the raunchy work of
Judd Aptow and friends:
The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005),
Knocked Up (2007), and
Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008).
We might as well get this "Unrated" stuff out of the way
first. You probably already know this but just to make
sure: "Unrated" means just that: the film in this form
has never been rated. What it does not mean is that you
will see more of the luscious Miss Heigl in compromising
or lascivious positions – with or without clothes, or
anyone else of significance – unless Jason Segel's thing
happens to be your thing. After all, these movies were
only R-rated to start with - "for pervasive sexual
content" among other things. (By the way, have you
wondered what kind of nudity isn't graphic or how the
unmodified term "language" is grounds for a rating of
any kind?) With an eye to home video, more "R" material
was shot, but you are likely to be disappointed if you
expect titillation to be consummated.
The by now familiar faces of actors Paul Rudd, Seth
Rogen and Jason Segel show up in two or more of these
features as misguided nerds, dopeheads, narcissists and
generally all-around losers. There are varying degrees
of raunchiness and nudity – but the surprise of it all
is that none of it is mean-spirited, and both sexes
receive their share of demeaning stereotypes. The men
are made much more the butt of raunchy humor of than the
women, while the women seem to exist for the men to
examine their existential problems. I think this is
supposed to be funny, but for me – perhaps it's just my
age – I simply find it trendy. I think my general
objection is that once I am exposed to relatively
uncharted images like a man pissing in his face because
he can't get his erection to behave, I find no charm in
revisiting them.
In the interests of full disclosure I must admit my
default lack of interest in movies of this sort, so I
was surprised that I not only was able to sit though
them, but also found it easy to discriminate one from
the other. I even found myself smiling now and then
sometimes in recognition, sometimes at the
outrageousness of it all, particularly evident in
Knocked Up. But just because there exists in these
movies a patina of sensitivity to real adult situations,
doesn't in my view make them good movies.
Forgetting
Sarah Marshall is, I felt, the least guilty in this
regard, partly because its writer and star, Jason Segel,
doesn't attempt to examine the maturing process, or the
lack of it, in such sweeping terms as Judd Aptow does in
the other two movies.
What makes me want to watch even the loudest or silliest
comedy over and over (think: Fawlty Towers, here) is
that the audience learns the lesson, even if the
character doesn't. Or, as in Valley Girl or The Sure
Thing, the journey to change or acceptance is unclear.
This was one of the things I admired about Mad About
You: resolution came not from insight, but perspective.
The same could be said for
Some Like it Hot. In raunchy
comedy, even these relatively good ones, I don't believe
enough in the characters' journey. Perhaps it's because
there are so many distractions – the very things that
make them special, I imagine – that get in the way of my
caring as much about them as I'd like.
The Movie:
7
Jason Segel, who has a small role in
Knocked Up, wrote
and stars in this romantic comedy about a schlub named
Peter – a decent enough but lazy as hell chap, who lives
off his fantasy of being the boyfriend of TV star, Sarah
Marshall. The only problem is that he really is the
boyfriend of TV star, Sarah Marshall, and has been for
the past five years. Peter is your basic couch potato –
or, maybe in his case, couch doughboy, for when we see
him pressing his fully naked person against the likes of
Miss Slim Kristen Bell we can only scratch our heads at
the galactic comedy unfolding before us.
But Sarah has only dropped in to break up with Peter,
having found someone else – and not recently, it turns
out. The movie, as we could surmise from the title,
consists of Peter's experiments in getting over his
having been unceremoniously dumped. . .all of which
could have easily devolved into porn or its drunken
equivalent if it weren't for the lucky chance that he
decides to go to Hawaii - to a favorite haunt of his and
Sarah's to drown his sorrows – only to discover Sarah
and her boyfriend at the same hotel. It's the completely
and carelessly self-absorbed boyfriend – Aldous Snow,
played by British comedian Russell Brand - more than
anyone else, who makes FSM the kick in the delights that
it is.
I had some trouble accepting how Peter manages to
complete his transformation, which struck me as patently
immature (and, God bless him – familiar). So, to
paraphrase Col. Kurtz: Ah, la rondine. La rondine. La
rondine. Jason Segel, seems an unlikely physical type
for a leading man. Unlike Seth Rogen from Kocked Up, who
seems to have almost nothing going for him out of the
box, Jason reminds me in his expression and manner of
the all too short-lived and underappreciated Victor
Buono. Even though Segel has obvious talent beneath that
marshmallow exterior, especially in the musical parts of
the show, it remains to be seen what his future holds
for him.
Image:
6/7.5
The first number indicates a relative level of
excellence compared to other Blu-ray video discs on a
ten-point scale. The second number places this image
along the full range of DVD and Blu-ray discs.
I can't say this movie impresses on the visual level.
The image isn't particularly sharp, though perhaps it
doesn't need to be. I suppose it is helped by a high def
presentation, but it's still kind of flat and not much
to behold. Contrast is all over the map, and color seems
to shift from greenish to reddish, mostly the former.
These aren't dramatic problems, just a symptom of some
kind of instability or carelessness.
Audio & Music:
7/6
Not much to brag about here either: I imagine that the
dialogue is helped by its being uncompressed, but I
wasn't able to make the comparison since here, as in
other Universal Blu-rays, the 5.1 DD or DTS track is not
included. Being the sort of movie that it is we wouldn't
expect much more than clarity of dialogue and music (on
and off screen), both of which are good.
Operations:
9
The menu is laid out like other Universal Blu-rays I
have seen so far – and they are all very cleverly laid
out, indeed. I like the arrows that tell you which way
to direct you remote, and the bonus feature instructions
are detailed and intuitive. High marks here. The chapter
menu includes buttons for U-Control in case you want to
approach those functions from that point. And there is
also a way to adjust the PIP volume in the set-up menu.
Extras:
8
Like the other two movies in Universal's Ultimate Comedy
Collection, this Blu-ray has an astonishing number of
bonus features of various lengths, all in standard
definition. Unlike the other two, however, it includes a
Digital Copy disc to load into your PC, Mac or laptop.
It also includes the 111-minute R-rated theatrical cut.
Most of the extras are pretty self-explanatory and of
variable interest. I liked most anything with Russell
Brand, even in his own right as a TV host for the
kiddies. Sex-O-Rama and Drunk-O-Rama montages are
somewhat extended versions of what appears in the
extended version of the movie. There's even a bit of
skin in the sex-o-rama. The main audio commentary is
more entertaining than informative, but I wouldn't have
expected else. None of this is rolling in the aisles
funny, but there's so much of it. Also, with a 2.0
player, you will be able to download stuff via BD-Live.
Bottom line:
7
FSM was written by one of the most unlikely actors to
star in his own movie, Jason Segel, who reminds me in
his expression and manner of the all too short-lived and
underappreciated Victor Buono. Even though Segel has
talent, especially in the musical parts of the show, it
remains to be seen what his future holds for him.
Leonard Norwitz
September 28th, 2008
