forgetting sarah marshall
Sometimes, when I try my best and have faith in myself, I find inspiration enough to achieve my goals, albeit briefly. The inspiring tale within.
Shortly after its release, Cracka and I made a pact to see Forgetting Sarah Marshall, because we thought the ad campaign was funny, because Twinkie had said it was pretty funny and finally because we like to keep our pacts simple and easy to fulfill. However, as the movie is about the final days of a relationship and the subsequent aftermath, I warned my chaperone that I may need some absorbent material for potential eyeball discharge. She made a note, nodded and called me a disgusting sissy (using only her face). But we went anyway, and I became determined to steel myself against any emotional overreactions and instead feel nothing whatsoever when witnessing any depictions of soul-rending pain, loss and betrayal that would be inevitably played out before me.
Now, it may have simply been a perfect storm of thirst mutilating Brawndo and flesh weakening starvation, but I far surpassed my goal of becoming “stronger” (read: increasingly dead inside and able to snuff out any remaining smoldering embers of hope within the cavity where I once stoked the fires of an immense and churning engine of compassion). Nary a tear was shed, and I was even able to produce an awkward and hollow chuckle at the destitution of others. Eureka. Success at last. Now, while I won’t get into the details of the movie, because that would be useful and thus a radical change of pace from the standard that has been set in these pages up to this point, I will say that I thought it was pretty funny. I guess comedy is such that, if I tell you what I liked, it won’t be as fun for you to see the movie. Also, one’s idea of “funny” may be another’s idea of cruel and irresponsible, possibly bordering on sadistic and/or incoherent. I’ve actually had such a discussion with the universe itself, recently. But I do offer one word of advance preparation in the form of this video.
As for the development and maintenance of emotional fortitude, success is fleeting at best, as I will find myself tearing up watching a grainy ZONE video on YouTube, wailing laments to the emptiness of my room along the lines of “Damn you cruel fate, why do beautiful things have to end?” So hooray for that.