Thursday, October 16, 2008

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

When I first saw Forgetting Sarah Marshall, it didn't strike me as very Jewish. Lots of Jews in the cast and credits and characters named Sarah and Rachel, but then again that's Sarah Marshall and Rachel Jansen. But I was looking for Jewishness to play out as a Jewish guy seeking comfort by winning a beautiful, gentile girlfriend. (There's Something About Mary.) I guess I was thrown by there actually being a blond and a brunette, and didn't watch some other bits very closely.

Still, I thought my fiancee would enjoy it, so we rented it and I watched it again last night. And I realized there's a lot in there about civility and manners, the kind Jewish entertainers have done before (Seinfeld, Lenny Bruce) that's been interpreted as being about assimilation.

Oh, yeah: And what was that tattoo on Paul Rudd's arm? Was it me, or was that a Star of David behind a Torah Scroll?

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