Poster art for "Forgetting Sarah Marshall."

Gifts + Promos

The Vow Free Gift

Buy tickets & receive a FREE 3-Month Love Forecast from Astrology.com!

Fandango Bucks

Send your sweetheart the gift of movies this Valentine’s Day!

Journey Sweeps

Enter for a chance to win a trip for 2 to Nicaragua!

Interactive Oscar Ballot

Who's taking home the Oscar? Cast your vote & challenge your friends on Facebook!

Need Help?
Go
Avg. Critic Score: 67 out of 100 Generally favorable reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
15 Iffy for 15+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 88
    Rolling Stone | Peter Travers

    A raucous ride through one man's pain. Read full review

  • 83
    Entertainment Weekly | Lisa Schwarzbaum

    Nakedness has rarely looked so...naked. And innately, universally comic. Read full review

  • 75
    San Francisco Chronicle | Mick LaSalle

    Deserves to ride the wave of the latest, hottest micro-trend in pictures: the romantic comedy for guys. Read full review

  • 75
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    The cringingly wacky scenarios, offbeat characters and comic dialogue serve up a crowd-pleasing, laugh-filled experience. Read full review

  • 70
    Wall Street Journal | Joe Morgenstern

    Ms. Kunis, a petite brunette, plays Rachel, a hotel receptionist by day and a party girl by night (and day), with a sparkling smile, a seductive voice that can sharpen to a rasp and a quick wit that suggests withheld knowledge. Good for her in a sex farce that lets so much hang out. Read full review

  • 70
    Washington Post | Desson Thomson

    A refreshingly tender treatment of love gone wrong -- we mean, for a movie that's got enough lowdown sexual content to start its own Kinsey Report. Read full review

  • 70
    Los Angeles Times | Carina Chocano

    The movie's big revelation, though, is Brand's Aldous, whose idiot-Lothario exterior masks a frank, accidentally wise and Yoda-like interior, and whom we grow to like more and more despite getting to better know him and his faults. The same can be said about the movie. Read full review

  • 70
    Variety | Joe Leydon

    Segel makes an engaging impression throughout Forgetting Sarah Marshall, gamely making himself the butt of many jokes that involve Peter's non-macho proclivities. Read full review

  • 70
    The Hollywood Reporter |

    Solid rom com finds another Judd Apatow acolyte moving into the spotlight. Read full review

  • 60
    The New York Times | A.O. Scott

    Does not entirely play by the established conventions of its genre. Its willingness to explore states of feeling and modes of behavior that tamer romantic comedies never go near is decidedly a virtue, though this same sense of daring and candor also exposes its limitations. Read full review

View more reviews for Forgetting Sarah Marshall on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says Iffy for 15+ Not as crass as other Apatow hits, but still not for kids.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this comedy -- which was produced by Knocked Up director Judd Apatow -- is actually a lot less crass than the other hit movies he's worked on ... despite the fact that it features full-frontal male nudity right off the bat. In fact, it's downright warm-and-fuzzy in parts, revealing the heartache of breakups and the complexities of relationships. All of that said, it can't avoid its Apatowian roots altogether; there's plenty of salty language (from "f--k" to "b-tch"), sexual content, social drinking, and references to drug use.
  • Families can talk about how the filmmakers deal with the fine line between being crude and being funny. Which side do they fall on more often? Who decides where that line falls to begin with? Families can also discuss why breakups are popular fodder for movies. Where's the humor in the end of a relationship? Why do you think Sarah breaks up with Peter to begin with? Was his reaction surprising or understandable?
The good stuff
  • message true0 Positive messages: Couples cheat on each other and cover up their misdeeds with lies. Still, friends back each other up and exes find a way to talk maturely about their failed relationships and what they appreciate about each other.
What to watch for
  • violence false0 Violence: Some loud arguments between couples; a bar owner beats Peter up for trying to steal a picture; two guys shove each other at the beach.
  • sex false5 Sex: Lots of jokes about sex; the first major scene involves repeated male full-frontal nudity, as well as naked backside shots. The main character is later shown having tons of one-night stands. Simulated sex acts in various positions. Couples cuddle post-coitus under sheets. A man teaches another man -- who is inexperienced -- his sexual tricks by humping large chess pieces. A honeymooner laments his new bride's excessive sexual demands and complains about not being able to find part of a woman's anatomy. Pictures of bare breasts.
  • language false5 Language: Lots of cursing, including many uses of "s--t," "dick," "bitch," and "f--k."
  • consumerism false3 Consumerism: Some hotel signage; Sean John, Sesame Street, Elmo, and Fraggle Rock are all name-checked. Logo for O'Neill surfing gear is prominently displayed.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false3 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Lots of getting sloshed, especially post-breakup. Some references to buying, selling, and smoking weed.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

Looking for more reviews? Movies.com Critics Say:

Dave White

4.5

Dave White Profile See Dave White's Profile

… something great, even if it's only simply very good. Read full review See Dave White's on MOVIENAME on Movies.com

Read more movie reviews at Movies.com

Forgetting Sarah Marshall Movie Ratings + Reviews

Fans say

Go 12,886 fan reviews

Critics say

Go See all critic reviews

Forgetting Sarah Marshall Featured Trailers + Video Clips

Facebook Movie Fans

Fan Fandango on Facebook