The Funniest Jason Segel Movie Is A Hit On Free Streaming
Jason Segel may be gearing up to promote his upcoming Netflix thriller Windfall, but a film from his back catalogue is currently causing a stir.
This article is more than 2 years old
Jason Segel may be gearing up to promote his upcoming Netflix thriller Windfall, but a film from his back catalogue is currently causing a stir. The 2008 comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall, which stars Segel in a lead role is, the film in question. The comedy is currently in the top ten on IMDb TV, the free streaming service.
Forgetting Sarah Marshall stars Jason Segel as down on his luck musician Peter. Peter lives in the shadow of his girlfriend, who is TV star Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell). Things get worse for Segel’s Peter when Sarah dumps him. In an effort to get over the relationship, Peter travels to Hawaii, but unfortunately for him, Sarah and her new boyfriend (Russell Brand) are holidaying in the exact same place. In the fact, the film was in part actually based on Jason Segel’s past relationships. Jason Segel serves as a screenwriter on the film and according to TheThings, Segel based the experience Peter has in the film on his own relationships and breakups in real life. In the fictitious case of Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Peter’s experience of getting over a breakup leads him to form a budding relationship with a Hawaii hotel resort receptionist.
The film is considered one of Jason Segel’s most notable works, alongside his turn as Marshall in How I Met Your Mother. As well as this, Forgetting Sarah Marshall ranks highly amongst Segels’ work on Rotten Tomatoes. The film is Segel’s sixth-highest ranked movie on the site. The movie is certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, with a critics score of 83% following 184 critic reviews and an audience score of 76% following over a quarter of a million audience ratings on the site.
Rotten Tomatoes cite the critical consensus of the comedy thusly: “With ample laughs and sharp performances, Forgetting Sarah Marshall finds just the right mix of romantic and raunchy comedy.” The film also turned over a modest, but successful box-office return. On a reported $30 million budget, the raunchy comedy went on to a worldwide gross of just over $100 million. Not a bad effort at all. This could be in part to the film’s stellar cast of comedy acting talent. Joining Jason Segel, Kristen Bell and Russel Brand are the likes of Mila Kunis, Paul Rudd and Jonah Hill. If you want to laugh, these are the actors you want to be cast in the movie. The film, directed by Nicholas Stoller was also written by Segel.
Along with How I Met Your Mother, Forgetting Sarah Marshall has set the tone for the majority of Jason Segel’s acting career. The actor went on to star in a series of high-profile Hollywood comedies. These included I Love You, Man (2009), Despicable Me (2010), Gulliver’s Travels (2010), Jeff Who Lives at Home (2011), Sex Tape (2014) and countless more. His works have seen him star alongside the likes of Cameron Diaz, Steve Carell, Jack Black and Ed Helms to name a few. Arguably, Jason Segel is most recognised as Marshall, the loveable character from the hit sitcom How I Met Your Mother. The show ran for nine seasons and is a big part as to why Segel has been able to carve out a successful Hollywood career.
Jason Segel’s latest project is a ‘Hitchcockian style’ thriller feature for Netflix titled Windfall. A trailer was recently released for the upcoming feature that sees Segel star opposite Lily Collins of Emily in Paris Fame and the Oscar-nominated Jesse Plemons (Jungle Cruise) Plemons and Collins star as a couple who are held hostage at their villa retreat by opportunistic criminal Segel, who attempts to hold the billionaires to ransom. The film is directed by Charlie McDowell (The One I Love) and written by Andrew Kevin Walker (Se7en). You can see the trailer below.
The theme and nature of the movie is a departure from Jason Segel’s usual staple of straight-up comedy flicks. Along with the 2022 feature, The Sky is Everywhere, Windfall marks a return to the Hollywood spotlight for Segel. Windfall looks very likely to be Segel’s next big hit and comes fourteen years after Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Those fourteen years have clearly not caused the popularity of this comedy to wane, as proved with its high charting position in the IMDb TV charts. That, along with the several projects Segel has starred in since, goes to show how the actor is a mainstay within Hollywood, and long may his career reign.
