Now Movie Review Double Shot: "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" and "Iron Man"

Very rarely have I seen two movies in the theaters on two consecutive days. When I do, usually the second movie suffers if the first movie was an enjoyable flick. In the case of first seeing Forgetting Sarah Marshall and then Iron Man, this situation may have been in effect.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

I thoroughly enjoyed this comedy from producer Judd Apatow and written by and starring Jason Segal. Segal plays TV music composer Peter, who works on the same show his long time girlfriend Sarah Marshall, played by Miss It TV Kristen Bell. When Sarah dumps him, Peter has a long downward spiral to go. Eventually he lands in Hawaii, where he runs into Sarah and her new boyfriend, but he also finds love with his hotel's front desk staffer (who is apparently the only one working the front desk) Rachel, played by another TV gal, Mila Kunis.

Though the movie does play with some romantic comedy cliches, it is a movie typical of Apatow's involvement: somewhat naughty, but very sweet at its core. Segal plays a sadsack very well and you can't help but root for him. The movie does make some odd leaps as at times it tries to make Sarah sympathetic and Peter an ass, but in the end, it rights itself and keeps the laughs going. As always, the supporting players are excellent with Jonah Hill playing a waiter obsessed with Sarah's new boyfriend, British rocker Aldso Snow. Jack McBrayer plays yet another naive boyish man, similar to his Kenneth on 30 Rock. And Bill Hader plays Peter's stepbrother to hilarious degrees.

I would definitely recommend this movie
4 Cliff Jumps out of 5.

Iron Man

Iron Man, which has been getting knockout reviews and taking box office crowns all over the place, sadly did not live up to my personal expectations. Not to say the movie was bad, it was good, but I don't see it as being a top 5 movie. To me, it felt both dragging (Stark's inprisonment) and rushed (The Iron Monger's rise to villainy). There were some nagging plotholes (Stark was missing for 3 months, yet as soon as he freed himself, he was saved by his personal friend Jim Rhodes, along with the press conference at the end). It seemed all action, but there was very little action until the end. It was mostly Tony and his suit, which while awesome, didn't sustain as much as it wanted to.

However, the acting of the movie was good and lighthearted, as superhero movies need to be. Robert Downey Jr. embodied Tony Stark, Gwyneth Paltrow had a nice charm as Pepper Pots, Stark's assistant, Terrance Howard played Jim Rhodes well, and Jeff Bridges, as Obidiah Stane, chewed the scenery well. Though it seemed at times the movie was spinning its wheels (or robotic arms as the case may be), the actors seemed to be having fun and that made the audience feel the fun too.

I can't pinpoint exactly what I didn't like about the film besides listing some of the headscratching parts, and even that contradicts with itself. The best part of the movie didn't even happen during the movie proper, but after the credits. But after the meaty stories of X-Men 2, Spider-Man 2 and Batman Begins, Iron Man seemed all thrust, no landing.

3 Comic In-jokes out of 5.