Out at the Movies: "Kiss the Bride" and "Forgetting Sarah Marshall"

Two movies of gay interest (for different reasons) hit theatres today. Here's our take...

Forgetting Sarah Marshall
On the surface, a movie about a guy who is dumped by his TV actress girlfriend, runs to Hawaii, and ends up staying at the same hotel as her and her new boyfriend might not have much to entice gay viewers. But this solid comedy's lack of gay panic humor, great cast of gay-friendly actors, and frequent laughs make it one worth checking out.

Oh, did I forget to mention the full-frontal male nudity? Yes, there's been a lot of hubbub about star Jason Segel (How I Met Your Mother, Knocked Up) and his decision to let it all hang out - several times - in one of the film's more memorable scenes. It's certainly used to make the audience uncomfortable, and it works (at the packed screening I attended, you could have heard a pin drop when his towel hit the floor), but beyond that it's just a guy with his pants down, right? (And no, I'm not going go into details. This is a family site!)

Beyond the pickle cameo, appearances by Jack McBrayer (oh my, are you ready for graphic sex scenes with Kenneth the Page?), Gedde Watanabe (who doesn't even speak, oddly), Brit comic Russell Brand (who steals the movie as Sarah's rockstar boyfriend), Jonah Hill (who is famously dating Andy Samberg's dad) and others are worth the ticket price. Romantic lead Mila Kunis (That 70's Show) is positively luminous - I could have watched her for hours - and Kristin Bell is fine in what is a rather unpleasant role.

While the misogynistic overtones of the film are a little unsettling, for once it's not homophobic. And I guess that's something. I should also point out that there is a small appearance by perhaps my favorite underrated character actress of all time, Maria Thayer, as McBrayer's wife. Fans of Strangers With Candy know Thayer as Tammi Littlenut, Jerri's put-upon best friend, but I know her as the awesome chick who hugged me when I ran into her at a gay bar. 

Kiss the Bride
A significantly more gay but significantly less successful romantic comedy, Kiss the Bride, also opens this weekend in select cities. It's not a disaster but is burdened with some serious script issues that keep the likable cast (which includes Tori Spelling and Amber Benson) from shining ... for more, check out my full review.