FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL (Rated R)

The Judd Apatow comic factory, churning out raunchy, bawdy comedies at a rapid clip, is at it again, this time with the inspired writing of a star pupil who apparently learned much from writer-director Apatow after stints in his TV series and “Knocked Up.”

Drawing on personal experience of failed romance, Jason Segel penned the script for “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and thereby became perfect for the starring role of the person victimized by the brutal heartbreak inflicted by the film’s titular character. As the film’s producer, Apatow has turned over the directing reins to Nicholas Stoller, a collaborator on many TV and movie scripts. Evidently, Apatow’s repertory company has the magic touch.

As the title implies, “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” is about the painful heartache of a romantic split, in which Jason Segel’s Peter Bretter is devastated that his beautiful girlfriend, Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell), is dumping him.

This movie achieves, perhaps, the most awkward, yet funny breakup ever seen. Peter is just getting out of the shower at his home, when Sarah shows up. Expecting a daytime tryst, Peter drops his towel, revealing the full monty for all to see. Obviously, he was clueless about the real reason for her unexpected visit. As he refuses to put on clothes, the inevitable separation talk becomes increasingly uncomfortable and clumsy, but in a completely hilarious fashion.

In many ways, Peter and Sarah are a very unlikely couple. She’s a glamorous TV star on a crime series, one that is spoofed delightfully as a “CSI” type show in which she and William Baldwin are engaged in earnest sleuthing. A musician with a slacker attitude, Peter has been scoring the music for her hit TV series, thus he’s unable to completely shake any ties to the very appealing actress. He’s reduced to sitting around his house in the same pair of sweatpants and eating cereal from gigantic bowls.

After a fruitless bout of womanizing and a meltdown on the job, Peter believes that not having Sarah in his life may well destroy it forever. At the urging of his brother Brian (Bill Hader), whose advice is not always helpful, Peter takes an impulsive trip to Hawaii to clear his head.

Unfortunately, Sarah is already staying at the same swank resort hotel with her new flame, self-absorbed hipster and British rocker Aldous Snow (Russell Brand). Peter’s extended stay at the beach resort becomes problematic and discomfiting, especially since Sarah has all too many public displays of affection with the obnoxious rock star. Wallowing in too many fruity cocktails and hysterical crying jags, Peter torments himself with the reality of Sarah’s new shallow life.

Relief from self-pity comes in the form of flirtations with very pretty hotel desk clerk Rachel (Mila Kunis), whose laid-back approach tempts Peter to rejoin the world of the living. Rachel offers emotional support, and soon gets Peter to loosen up a bit with a few lively encounters with some of the locals, which don’t always go smoothly.

Deciding to take surfing lessons from Chuck (Paul Rudd), the typical stoner whose brain has been fried beyond repair, he flails away in the waves, enduring one mishap after another. Then, there are the strange run-ins with hotel staff, mostly with the creepy waiter Matthew (Jonah Hill) who’s anxious for Aldous to listen to his musical demo CD.

“Forgetting Sarah Marshall” delivers plenty of unforgettable comedy, generating laughter not just for Peter’s sad predicament but for the sarcastic banter that sometimes elevates the dialogue beyond the merely sophomoric. However, this being an Apatow production, the humor is not on the level of high-brow Noel Coward witticisms.

Despite the raunchy comedy and the shock value of Peter’s disrobing, this movie seems a whole lot tamer than “Superbad,” dwelling as it does on the Peter’s essentially sweet vulnerability. Still, “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” pushes the boundaries, earning a well-deserved R rating.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE

There’s a TV channel for practically every taste. Just in case the Sci-Fi Channel doesn’t offer enough programming choices, Fox Home Entertainment has just released “Alien Nation: Ultimate Movie Collection.”

Continuing where the original television series left off, this DVD collection includes all five suspenseful sci-fi movies for the first time. These films follow the action-packed adventures of Los Angeles police detective Matt Sikes (Gary Graham) and his partner George Francisco (Eric Pierpoint), an alien fugitive slave who must, along with his brethren, struggle to assimilate into life on his adopted planet Earth, without sacrificing his own cultural identity.

The “Ultimate Movie Collection” kicks off with “Alien Nation: Dark Horizons,” when the fate of the entire planet is on the line as a Purist group develops a virus designed to kill all Newcomers. An abundance of bonus materials include gag reels, storyboards and photo galleries.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.

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