David Mamet is one of my all time favorites. Of course everyone knows Glengarry Glen Ross, but as a director his films have rarely risen beyond the arthouse circuit, even though he’s almost as macho in his approach as John Milius. He loves doing films about con games; they show up prominently in House of Games, Spanish Prisoner and Heist but also figure in some way in almost all of his other films, even his comedies which include Things Change and State & Main. I only just found out that he wrote the screenplay for Ronin (under an assumed name, don’t know why), a film that I seem to watch once every couple of months – amazing on every level (check this recent review on Pajiba).

So of course I was eager to see his latest, Redbelt, even if the plot didn’t sound too promising. A martial arts instructor who has never been in a competition is forced to enter one. I knew in Mamet’s hands it wasn’t going to be a Jean Claude Van Damme cartoon, and it isn’t. But the set-up to get him there is far too complex and I don’t think some of the key points are sufficiently fleshed out. The cast is uniformly excellent, starring Chiwetel Ejiofor (from American Gangster) and Tim Allen in a rare straight role. Lots of Mamet’s regulars also appear – wife Rebecca Pidgeon, Ricky Jay, Joe Mantegna, David Paymer. The movie had me for its first two thirds but the final third drops the ball. Again, some of the key questions are explained too fast, the fight scene (I don’t want to spoil it but it is not the fight you are expecting to see) is neither well shot nor well edited and the ending too abrupt. I get the feeling I’m going to watch it again but for now I feel let down.

I approached Forgetting Sarah Marshall with exactly zero expectations. After all, how much would you expect from a movie that is written by and stars Jason Segel, the third male lead in sitcom How I Met Your Mother. Director Nicholas Stoller doesn’t have much of a track record – the screenplay to the unnecessary Fun With Dick & Jane remake and some sitcom scripts. I did know that it was produced by Judd Apatow but hadn’t noticed the 85% score at Rotten Tomatoes.

And I loved it. If there are only about a dozen plots in the world, this one goes down a road we’ve gone down hundreds of times before. Guy loses girl, guy moans about losing her, guy gets another girl. And plotwise, it goes exactly where you expect it to go. The joy is in getting there. And in this film, it gets there funny and it never has any of the cringe moments so prevalent in romcoms.

Here’s the set-up. Segel composes music for a CSI-like TV show that stars his girlfriend, Sarah Marshall, along with Billy Baldwin. When she dumps him, he heads to Hawaii to forget, only to end up in the same hotel as Sarah and her new boyfriend, an obnoxious British rock star.

All of the expected Apatow elements are there – the combination of raunch on the surface with unexpected sweetness and sincerity underneath. Yes, Jason Segel has two full frontal nude scenes. Kristen Bell is okay while Mila Kunis has never been hotter. Apatow regulars Bill Hader, Jonah Hill and Paul Rudd all show up but it’s possible that 30 Rock’s Jack McBrayer comes close to stealing the film as a very nervous, very Christian newlywed.

I’m gonna have to watch this one again because I know my girlfriend is gonna love it.

Sunday afternoon. I should be doing some work around the house but think I’ll put another movie on now.