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Judd Apatow, who directed THE 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN and KNOCKED UP, has also produced a string of comedy hits like SUPERBAD and many of Will Ferrell’s movies. Now he brings us via the producer’s chair FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL, a funny and sweet romantic comedy that balances between well observed character moments and raunchy humor. Directed by first-time helmer Nicholas Stoller and written by its star Jason Segel, the film takes a simple break-up scenario and fills it with one winning joke after another.

Peter Bretter (Segel, KNOCKED UP) is a composer, working on a bad TV cop show. The star of that show is Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell, TV’s HEROES), who has been Peter’s girlfriend for the past five years. He’s a frumpish loser who barely has the motivation to get off the couch during the day if he doesn’t have to. Sarah comes home from filming and drops the bomb that she has fallen for someone else. That someone else turns out to be rock ‘n roller lothario Aldous Snow (Russell Brand, PENELOPE). Peter falls into a funk and his stepbrother Brian (Bill Hader, TV’s SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE) encourages him to take a vacation. So Peter packs his bags and heads off to Hawai’i, where who does he run into but Sarah with her new guy. This only sinks Peter deeper into fits of sobbing until he begins to develop a friendship with the kind hotel receptionist Rachel Jansen (Mila Kunis, TV’s THAT 70′S SHOW).

Segel plays a believable loser; he’s not hopeless just unmotivated. He’s fallen into a comfortable rut and has given up on trying to do anything more. While Brand’s character is a caricature, Bell’s Sarah isn’t. It’s a fairly honest portrayal of a working actress. She isn’t a raging diva, just a woman with a demanding job who made the mistake of cheating on her boyfriend for reasons that when discovered don’t seem unreasonable. Making the love triangle ever more engaging is the wonderful Rachel character, performed with endless charm from Kunis. She is a nice carefree spirit who allows Peter to open up and heal. The combination of three characters’ personalities feels just right for the plot, making what happens a natural progression of the characters’ development.

Other Apatow regulars show up, such as SUPERBAD’s Jonah Hill as the rude waiter Matthew who is obsessed with Aldous and 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN’s Paul Rudd as Chuck, a surf instructor whose memory has been fried by sun and fun. Some other laughs come from the devout Christian honeymooners Darald (Jack McBrayer, TV’s 30 ROCK) and Wyoma (Maria Thayer, STRANGERS WITH CANDY) and their new adventures with sex.

The Hawaiian environment is a beautiful place to set a romantic comedy as well. One of the funniest jokes comes at the expense of the Hawaiian wedding tradition. Using this environment well, Segel and Stoller make the whole film a fun experience. The jokes hit, the well-developed characters bring heart and the setting makes it light and carefree. It just goes to show that talented people can dust off a tried and true premise and make it feel fresh again.