You know how people say it's never a good sign when you can write something better than the film you're watching? Although I rarely get exactly that feeling, since I know nothing about writing films, I do occasionally feel like I could improve a film by making a few changes. This is what this segment is all about, and we will start off with a film I saw a few years ago and feel embarrassed to say I actually watched the whole thing: Forgetting Sarah Marshall.
How I Would Improve Forgetting Sarah Marshall:
1. Take out Sarah Marshall, or make her a throwaway character at the beginning who maybe comes back once later in the film.
2. Take out the unfunny, mind-numbing, cringe-worthy sex comedy. And the nudity. I'm not a prude, but seeing Jason Segel naked added nothing to the film. It wasn't necessary or funny, it was just an excuse for a visual dick joke (see beginning of sentence: it wasn't funny). There was one funny sex-related joke; when he says 'I'm pretty sure I ruined her day' followed by an ironic cut; a joke that could be kept in, even if it was one of the more graphic ones, but it was brief and didn't outstay its welcome, just as I think all sexual gags should be, unless your aim is to make your audience extremely uncomfortable.
3. Make Peter's 'Dracula Musical' the main focus of the film. It could have been a film about a guy who breaks up with his long-term girlfriend and, in an attempt to get over the breakup, decides to do something he's wanted to do for a long time and didn't because he was in that relationship: in this case, try and get his musical off the ground. It's something that a lot of people can relate to, and this aspect of the story was endearing and entertaining and it was the only thing in the film I actually enjoyed. If the film was about that, and it incorporated the new budding romance, it could have greatly benefited the film.
4. This isn't totally necessary, in fact, this is just a personal thing, but take out Russell Brand. Seriously. I can't remember the name of his character, because he was just playing the same character he plays in every film he's in: Russell Brand. Okay, I know he's very popular, but considering my earlier revision which removes the Sarah character, you could at least reduce Brand's appearance to an amusing cameo when Peter bumps into Sarah again and sees she's now dating a bastard English rock star. Cameo done, less annoying Brand antics, get on with the film.
Remember, this is just how I personally would have changed the film. I realise that my alterations pretty much completely change the premise of the film: a comedy where a guy goes on holiday to get over his ex, but oh my god, she's there too! What a wacky coincidence! Yes, that might have been an okay premise, but unfortunately it wasn't very well executed, and I found the sub-plot much more interesting and would have preferred it if the film had focused on that instead.
