On DVD: Forgetting Sarah Marshall - Three-Disc Unrated Collector's Edition

It seems like forever ago that I reviewed the stellar sex comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall at the South By Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival. But the film has stayed with me, making me chuckle now and then at a stray line or reference tossed out by a friend. Well, now it's finally out on DVD, and there are two versions: the bare-bones, just-the-movie version and the inevitable "Collector's Edition." Since there's more than a $10 difference between these two, many of you might be wondering, Is the special edition worth an extra $10?

Oh, hell, yes. This was easily one of the most enjoyable bonus-feature experiences I've had in a while -- almost every bit was worth that extra ten spot. My wife, who usually doesn't enjoy special features at all, wandered into the room, sat down and began telling me which features we had to watch next. First of all, the big difference between the two versions is that the extended, unrated version comes in addition to the original theatrical cut with the Collector's Edition. The extended cut has some brand-new sequences (one of which involves an ill-fated yoga session), as well as an added focus on Peter's (Jason Segel) drinking at the resort. The result is a slightly raunchier, but more textured, story about what this guy is going through.

Then disc two is a veritable wonderland of features for anyone who enjoyed the film. Simply put, there's more of everything. There are even more deleted scenes than were put back into the extended cut, many of which are just as fall-down funny as those in the film. One focuses on the utter helplessness of Sarah Marshall as she goes horseback riding, only to have the horse "kidnap" her by wandering away from the pack. There's "Sex-o-rama" -- a montage of extra footage and gags showing Peter having anonymous sex and going through additional misadventures -- which was all a bit too raunchy for the film. This was one of those laugh-every-10-seconds kind of bits and was one of the better portions of the disc.

Then there's a sequence showing Stephen Baldwin and Kristen Bell in their show Crime Scene, which is an awesome jab at the sleazier prime-time police procedurals; there's also a series of alternate bits featuring Jason Bateman in scenes from Sarah's new fall TV show. Then there's the cherry on top: on what appears to be an outtake reel from a Sesame Street-type kids' show, Aldous Snow (Russell Brand) makes an appearance to sing a modified version of his sexual ballad "Inside of You," which has been retitled "Inside of U," to a U-shaped puppet.

And the making-of stuff is all above and beyond, with the focus being on entertainment rather than enlightenment. Take for example the 15-minute interview with the cast -- while they're drinking on a beach in Hawaii. No, they don't discuss camera angles and thematic choices. It's all comedy and NSFW body-part humor. And all of it is hilarious. There are also audition tapes, which seem to only be there to feature Russell Brand's brilliant ad-libbed audition that inspired the team to rewrite the movie around him. Oh yeah, and there is a pretty funny commentary track.

And that's just all the stuff I really liked. If you dug Forgetting Sarah Marshall like I did, this release will serve only to enhance your enjoyment of it. It truly is one of those rare Collector's Editions that means what it says and delivers the goods 100 percent. On DVD and Blu-ray, it's available now from Universal Studios Home Entertainment.

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