15 Best Movies Like Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Many are quick to dismiss romantic comedies or "chick flicks." They may think they're too saccharine or formulaic, but 2008's "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" still proves you can put a fun twist on the genre.

The film opens with Peter (Jason Segel) getting dumped by his long-time girlfriend Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell). To forget his troubles, he goes on a Hawaiian vacation, only to find Sarah there with a new beau, Aldous (Russell Brand) — and while he still has feelings for Sarah, Peter also feels an attraction toward his hotel concierge, Rachel (Mila Kunis). It's not just a film about finding love, but it's also about recognizing what you had before wasn't healthy for either party. Throughout the movie, Peter realizes that things hadn't been good between him and Sarah for a hot minute, and he needed to get out rather than try to repair what was too damaged to mend.

All that (plus a Dracula puppet rock opera) makes this a must-watch. The film even has Harrison Ford's seal of approval, in case you're still on the fence about watching it. Indeed, if you're in the mood for romance but are tired of the same old rom-coms, here are some other movies like "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" that'll make you both laugh and say "awww."

You've heard of romantic comedies, but what about bro-mantic comedies? They follow the same story beats as a rom-com but instead focus on male friendships. And there's perhaps no better example of the brom-com than "I Love You, Man."

Peter (Paul Rudd) is about to get married but realizes he doesn't have any close male friends to be his best man ... at least, not until he forges a friendship with slacker Sydney (Jason Segel). It's fun to see Segel again after watching "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," and he's definitely playing a zanier character this time around, bouncing off an against-type Rudd as the strait-laced Peter. And while "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" isn't really about bromances, the two movies feel like kindred spirits in that they expect the audience to know the beats of a traditional rom-com and mess around with those expectations.

Plus, Segel's performance here was inspired by his time filming "Forgetting Sarah Marshall." He actually based Sydney on Russell Brand's lackadaisical persona, proving he can play both the straight man and the comedic foil equally well.

Director Judd Apatow isn't one to make a straightforward romantic-comedy. For starters, it's going to be far raunchier than the usual PG-13 fare, but that works to his advantage in something like "Knocked Up.

Ben (Seth Rogen) is a slacker who gets hard-working reporter Allison (Katherine Heigl) pregnant after a one night stand. Despite the duo's very different personalities, they try to make it work with a baby on the way. And even with an uproarious supporting cast including the likes of Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, and, hey, Jason Segel once more, the film never loses sight of the very serious plotline at its heart.

What grounds "Knocked Up" and continues to make it a great film to this day is that it doesn't shy away from the reality that being in a relationship can be hard. Ben and Allison get off on the wrong foot, but then you have the subplot of Pete (Rudd) and Debbie (Mann) having a tumultuous marriage. In fact, "Knocked Up" used a real argument Rudd had with his actual wife as a source of conflict here. Having a baby or getting married isn't the end of the journey; it's just another start to something that's hopefully great in the long run.

A lot of rom-coms focus on the beginning of a relationship, but "This Is 40," a loose sequel to "Knocked Up," checks in with a couple, namely Debbie and Pete (Leslie Mann and Paul Rudd, again), who've been together for a while. They have troubles with their jobs, two daughters who are increasingly fighting with one another, and Debbie discovers she's pregnant.

It's easy for rom-coms to slap on a "happily ever after" ending when all's said and done, leaving audiences to assume the film's couple will fix their lingering issues and that everything will be sunshine and rainbows after that. But "This Is 40," which (admittedly) can sometimes feel aimless, gets to the heart of any successful long-term relationship. It's not about things being perfect; it's about both parties agreeing to always do their best and be there for one another.

Debbie and Pete are on good terms by the end of "This Is 40," but it might not be the last we ever see of them. Rather, Judd Apatow has talked about potentially doing "This Is 50," so we may yet see this couple dealing with kids going to college, bad knees, and all that jazz.

As the title suggests, "Splitsville" is all about navigating the aftermath of a break-up. The movie starts with married couple Carey (Kyle Marvin) and Ashley (Adria Arjona) taking a trip but breaking up along the way, with Ashley wanting to be with other men and claiming that she's already slept with other people. Carey seeks solace in his married friends Paul (Michael Angelo Covino) and Julie (Dakota Johnson), who reveal that they themselves are in an open marriage. 

While polyamory has always been around, it's definitely grown in prevalence and attention in recent years. Rom-coms are uniquely situated to comment on changes in how people date, so over the last decade, rom-coms have been more prone to focusing on dating apps and the idea of ghosting. Perhaps the most impressive thing about "Splitsville" is that it neither condones nor condemns open relationships. Instead, it uses them as a springboard to see just how much hilarity can be drawn from these characters getting into copious misunderstandings. The big physical fight between Carey and Paul is worth the price of admission alone.

"There's Something About Mary" probably leans more on the "comedy" side of the romantic comedy. Its main focus is absolutely to make viewers laugh, as it's filled with non-stop gags, from Ted's (Ben Stiller) zipper incident as a teenager to the misuse of "hair gel." But at the core of the story is something similar to "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," i.e. a guy who desperately wants to recapture what he once had.

The movie's inciting incident sees Ted miss out on going to prom with his dream girl, Mary (Cameron Diaz), and then wanting to reconnect with her 13 years later. What follows is a raunchy romp where everyone seemingly wants to date Mary, and you can probably guess how it plays out. 

It's fascinating to watch a 1990s movie like "There's Something About Mary" and compare it to the more modern "Forgetting Sarah Marshall." In all honesty, Mary probably shouldn't date any of the guys interested in her, seeing as virtually all of them use deception to some degree to get with her. If the film had been made 10 or 15 years later, perhaps it would've included a more nuanced conclusion. Still, even if some parts of "Mary" haven't aged well, it's worth watching due to its sheer absurdity. 

/Film's review of 2017's "The Big Sick" called it "the most authentic, unique romantic comedy in years," so if you enjoy rom-coms that are a little off the beaten path, this is the way. It's a genuinely hilarious film, with Ray Romano getting some of the best jokes, as it sees Kumail Nanjiani (playing a fictional version of himself) striking up a romance with Emily Gardner (Zoe Kazan). They already have to navigate their cultural differences when she battles adult-onset Still's disease and becomes gravely ill. 

The film somehow walks that fine line of being a cynical comedy and very aware of the potential rom-com tropes it could fall into while also being undeniably sweet. That's probably thanks to the movie being based on the true story of Nanjiani's relationship with his actual wife and the film's co-writer, Emily V. Gordon. Despite being a personal story, it's funny the whole way through, even finding moments of laughter within life's darkest moments. 

In 2011, audiences had their pick of "Friends With Benefits" and "No Strings Attached," two films with pretty much the same premise of a couple wanting to keep things casual (mirroring changes in real-world relationships) but then having to navigate actual emotions. It's even more surprising that Justin Timberlake isn't in the movie called "No Strings Attached," which shares a name with an *NSYNC album. 

If you're only going to watch one, I'd suggest "Friends With Benefits," the funnier of the two. It also stars Mila Kunis from "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," and it has a very meta way of reuniting her with her former co-star, Jason Segel. During one scene, Jamie (Kunis) and Dylan (Timberlake) are watching a bad romantic comedy that sees Jason Segel announce his love for Rashida Jones at a train station, with Dylan making fun of how cheesy it is. Luckily, "Friends With Benefits" itself is an easy, breezy rom-com for skeptics of the genre that showcases how sometimes sex is easy between two people, and everything else is tough.

Romantic comedies sometimes utilize dark humor to get their point across. For 1972's "The Heartbreak Kid," that humor is all in service of showing what an opportunistic jerk Lenny Cantrow (Charles Grodin) is. The movie opens with his marriage to Lila (Jeannie Berlin) that was solely done so that the two could have sex within wedlock. However, upon marrying her, Lenny realizes he doesn't even really like Lila, and on their honeymoon, he falls in love with college student Kelly (Cybill Shepherd).

A lot of people have some magical idea of soulmates, how there's one person who's right for you specifically. But much of the time, love is simply built between two people who are pretty good matches. And besides, if you're the kind of person who believes the grass is always greener on the other side, then you'll never be happy. That's what makes "The Heartbreak Kid" one of the best rom-coms of all time as well as a stellar farce about a very particular type of person who can never overlook his partner's foibles.

Far too often, rom-coms centering on straight couples depict the man as being the one who needs to clean up his act a little. That's certainly the case with "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," in which Jason Segel's character is just a mess when the film begins. "Trainwreck," on the other hand, flips the script and focuses on Amy Townsend (Amy Schumer), a party girl who loves non-committal sex but finds herself at a crossroads when she actually develops romantic feelings for Dr. Aaron Conners (Bill Hader).

There's a lot to glean from "Trainwreck." For starters, Hader should've gotten far more work as the male lead of more rom-coms after this (though it's hard to be too mad when we got "Barry" instead). He has an effortless charm about him where you fully believe that his character's worth changing one's entire outlook on life for. Additionally, LeBron James, who plays himself as one of Dr. Conners' patients, is surprisingly hilarious. And even though Schumer's mostly known for her stand-up, she gets to show off a more vulnerable side here, proving with the right material, she can handle both comedy and drama.

It's not a rom-com, but honestly, I feel like there's no movie recommendation list that couldn't be improved by including a Muppet movie of some kind. For their 2011 outing, the Muppets get a boost from some "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" talent, with Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller (who directed "Sarah Marshall") writing the screenplay. Segel also stars as Gary, a human whose Muppet brother Walter (Peter Linz) wants Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, and the rest of the old gang to get back together to save the Muppet Theater.

If "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" is a deconstruction of rom-coms, then "The Muppets" is a deconstruction of the puppet troupe as a whole. It pokes fun at the entire entertainment business, but with a nuanced edge where the movie itself questions whether there's a place for the Muppets in the 21st century. Plus, it feels like Segel's been waiting his whole life to make this movie, as "Sarah Marshall" sees Segel's character wanting to make his own puppet musical. That's exactly what he does here, complete with hilarious songs like the Oscar-winning "Man or Muppet."

Mila Kunis and Kristen Bell were after the same man (at least part of the time) in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall." However, "Bad Moms" has them teaming up alongside an always-game Kathryn Hahn for the sole purpose of being as hilarious as possible. The three play a trio of moms who are tired of always having to be perfect and being focused solely on raising their kids. As such, they all plot to have a wild night out together — one in which they won't have to worry about what other people might think of them.

But aside from the similar cast members, "Bad Moms" starts in a similar place to "Sarah Marshall." The story kicks off when Amy (Kunis) discovers her husband chatting with a cam girl, and she kicks him out of their home. Losing her marriage then inspires her to set out and figure out who she truly is, which is also what Jason Segel's character does at the beginning of "Sarah Marshall." Because of this, both film are great to watch if you're going through a rough patch in life and need a few laughs (as well as a reminder that life is all about change and moving onto bigger and better things).

"The Wedding Singer" is one of Adam Sandler's best movies and arguably the best of his classic '90s-era comedies. The actor stars here as Robbie Hart, a struggling wedding singer who goes through a bad break-up only to fall for Julia (Drew Barrymore), who herself is about to marry some rich jerk. But through all the typical Sandler-isms (like Robbie having a hard time getting over his ex, leading him to perform the hilarious song "Somebody Kill Me"), there's some genuine heart in the film, with Robbie realizing he needs to pursue the girl even if she's set to marry someone else.

"The Wedding Singer" is one of many movies like "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" in which a bad break-up almost prevents someone from discovering their true love. It can be difficult to get over someone, but when the right person shows up, you need to take a chance. Plus, both films feature a protagonist with musical gifts who also needs to take more chances to advance his career.

There are a lot of Judd Apatow movies like "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," and that probably has something to do with him being a producer on that film. As such, they all exist within the same camp of R-rated rom-coms that aren't afraid to get dirty but are still pretty sweet by the end. And no list of great Apatow films would be complete without "The 40 Year-Old Virgin."

The movie stems from a sketch comedy idea Steve Carell had about a man who tries to bluff his way into convincing his friends he's had sex. It got adapted into a feature-length film about precisely that, focusing on a guy (played by Carell) trying to lose his virginity while also navigating a new relationship with a woman he really cares about.

It's also worth noting that "The 40 Year-Old Virgin" is kind of responsible for "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" existing. Apatow wanted to put Segel in the film in a supporting role, but Universal Pictures vetoed it. At a low point in his career, Apatow told Segel to start writing his own material, which led to him writing "Forgetting Sarah Marshall."

Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller re-teamed once again for 2012's "The Five-Year Engagement." It's the rare rom-com that actually begins with a couple — Tom (Segel) and Violet (Emily Blunt) — wanting to get married. However, due to various life circumstances, they continually push back their wedding date. This, in turn, puts a strain on their relationship, though in the end, they realize there's never a "perfect" moment to get married. Sometimes, you just have to take a leap of faith. 

"The Five-Year Engagement" is a bit more grounded compared to "Sarah Marshall." Characters are silly but never over-the-top caricatures, which helps get viewers truly invested in Tom and Violet's plight. The film's also a much-needed addition to the rom-com genre because so many movies show how to get someone to fall in love with you. However, getting people to stay in love is a whole other story entirely (one the movie expertly tackles).

"Celeste and Jesse Forever" is one of the best movies like "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" because they're both stellar break-up films. The former sees the titular duo (Rashida Jones and Andy Samberg, respectively) agreeing to a divorce but wanting to remain friends. However, this becomes complicated as Jesse initially wants to reconcile but winds up dating someone else, at which point Celeste reconsiders whether divorce was the right move.

You can't have romance without heartbreak. Few people manage to only date and marry one person their entire lives. For everyone else, they have to go through some duds, and when a break-up happens, it's difficult to navigate. "Celeste and Jesse Forever" shows what happens when people insist they can be friends after such an emotional period. It's possible, but there are always going to be some lingering emotions. Either way, if you find yourself crying over someone you thought was "the one," then consider a "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" and "Celeste and Jesse Forever" double feature to see how everything works out in the end.