If you’ve ever pined over the loss of a significant other, this movie is for you. If you’ve ever had your still-beating heart ripped out of your chest and torn into a million, tiny pieces right in front of you, while dressed only in your birthday suit, this movie is for you. If you like movies with lots of foul language, sexual humor and illicit drugs, this movie is most definitely for you.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall is the story of Peter (Jason Segel, best known as Marshall on television’s uproarious How I Met Your Mother), a pudgy everyman, stuck-in-a-rut television composer who’s spent the last six years in a relationship with Sarah Marshall (adorable Kristen Bell from Veronica Mars and Heroes), a ravishing television starlet. Peter worships the ground Sarah walks on, even though she treats him little better than the hired help.

When Sarah suddenly breaks up with him, Peter’s life goes into a tailspin. Alone and rudderless, Peter tries losing himself in countless cocktails and the arms of other women. After a nervous breakdown at work, Peter comes to the conclusion that he desperately needs to get away from it all. He is settling into an all-inclusive resort in gorgeous Hawaii, as far away from his life in Los Angeles as he can get, when his worst nightmare comes true: his ex-girlfriend and her new, British-rocker boyfriend Aldous (Russell Brand), are bedded down in the suite next door.

Unable to reconcile the horrific new development, Peter’s only relief comes in the friendly flirtations of Rachel (That 70s Show’s Mila Kunis), a beautiful, deeply tanned resort employee whose laid-back approach to life holds the key to Peter’s mental state, his personal ambitions for the future and a new shot at love.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall has more in common with the disaster films of Irwin Allen than with those of the new king of comedy, Judd Apatow, it’s producer. Apatow (The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Talladega Nights, Knocked Up, Superbad, Walk Hard, Drillbit Taylor, the upcoming The Pineapple Express — when does this guy sleep!?) and writer/star Seigal have whipped up a hilarious yet heartfelt look at relationships that generates real apathy for its pathetic lead even as we cannot help but laugh out loud as his life flies apart. The film also boasts some superb supporting stars including Paul Rudd, Jonah Hill, Bill Hader and 30 Rock’s Jack McBrayer.

Like nearly all of Apatow’s films, Forgetting Sarah Marshall is both crude and cuddly, with enough heart and hilarity to please both genders. Perhaps now would be a good time to warn you that Forgetting Sarah Marshall should come with some sort of Surgeon General’s Warning for audiences. This film has not one, not two, not three, but four — count them — four gratuitous full frontal nudity shots. And in the spirit of sexual equality, I’m not referring to any of the ladies.

Like the character of Aldous, Forgetting Sarah Marshall may appear, at first, to be shallow and brainless. And then you realize that, like the seemingly narcissistic Brit, the film is, in fact, quite intelligent, fun loving and full of genuine heart.

It simply happens to like sex. A lot.

© Copyright 2008 Brandon Fibbs. All rights reserved.