Rating: 4.5 Pulses

Rated R

Forgetting Sarah Marshall is, without question, the best film I’ve seen this year.

Usually, my sensibilities make it difficult to laugh at human suffering; but, I can honestly say, I’ve never been so comfortable laughing at a set of characters in my life. Each possessed an inert humanity that makes you love them, and it’s OK to laugh at the expense of people you love.

The crowded theater was filled with unbridled laughter every five minutes for the entire hour and 52 minutes of film time.

“He’s like Gandhi, but better, he likes puppets,” bartender Dwayne (Davon McDonald) says of the film’s leading man, Peter (Segel, who shares top billing with his penis).

A little Jim Henson is the way to any girl’s heart, and in Forgetting Sarah Marshall there must be something driving desperately beautiful women like television star Sarah Marshall (Bell) and an equally gorgeous resort employee, Rachel Jansen (Kunis), into Peter’s arms, because he’s a pretty normal looking guy.

Peter seems happy with his mildly successful career as a musician, eating copious amounts of cereal and living in the shadow of his blonde, actress girlfriend, Sarah. Inevitably she has different ideas, and leaves Peter broken hearted.

After a series of sexual escapades and a mental breakdown on the job, our lovelorn puppet master adjourns for sunnier skies, to a Hawaiian resort where he instantly bumps into Sarah and her new beau, British rocker Aldous Snow (Brand). Hilarity ensues.

Thank you, Apatow clan, for introducing Brand to the United States. He’s insane but loveable as neurotic, free-loving, rock star Aldous; contributed two songs to the film’s soundtrack with the fictional band Infant Sorrow; and gives the film a cheeky accented bad boy who’s too nice to Peter to hate.

Additional fringe performances by Bill Hader as Pete’s overconcerned stepbrother; Jonah Hill as Matthew, a resort waiter obsessed with Aldous Snow; and Paul Rudd as surf instructor Chuck, or as he prefers to be called, Kunu, round out the cast of funny folks. The classic, crude, one-liners fly unhindered.

“When life gives you lemons, just say ‘Fuck the lemons,’ and bail,” Kunu wisely advises Peter.

“I just went from six to midnight,” Matthew admits, cringing, in the presence of Aldous.

“Seemingly, the only actresses that can survive are the ones that show their cooter and I refuse to that,” says Sarah, considering her future career. “Excuse me, but I have a little dignity.”

The film also includes an operatic production of “Dracula,” performed with puppets. Finally, I can forgive the Apatow clan for making Walk Hard.

Go see this movie. Go buy the DVD, watch it every day for a week, and quote it for a year.