"Forgetting Sarah Marshall" Posters Explained: Audience Had Bad Reaction To Star's Face

"Forgetting Sarah Marshall" opened strong over the weekend and is the #1 comedy in America. The film's writer and leading man Jason Segel appeared on the "Late Show with David Letterman" Friday night and explained how he finally found success after five years of unemployment, only have his face taken off the film's posters. "I'm not quite good-looking enough to be the good-looking guy, but I'm not bad-looking enough to be the hilarious guy." He then explained the ad campaign (see one below), "They tested posters with my face on them and there was an unfavorable reaction to my face."

Watch:

A sample ad:

Comments

[stop7997]

Actually, he's not a bad-looking guy, he just acts like a spaz. Chill, dude.

[YMCA]

Hey Hollywood. This is your problem. You want to know why most people hate Hollyood producers? Because of crap like this. You want to get some respect back? Stop casting Jessica Alba and Pretty boys who are horrible actors and start casting more people like this. You know, with talent.

Shame on you Hollywood.

[ReelBusy]

The testing audience of real people are the ones who pushed the studio to do this.
If real people don't want or respond to other real people that leaves us with Jessica Alba.
So essentially it's "your" fault this poor guy lost his face off the poster.
Try to do better next time YMCA.

[BigCheese]

What makes you think Hollywood wants your respect? (Newsflash: They don't.) They just want your money. That's why they generally make movies with really attractive actors that people like to look at on a big screen. It's called entertainment.

[ErinDanger]

I nearly didn't see the movie because of those idiot posters, which framed the film as being a "Mean Girls"esque high school romp.

Seriously, "My mom never liked you, Sarah Marshall" in giant ladies' handwriting in no way conveyed the awesomeness that actually was this movie.

(P.S. Jason Segal is awesome.)

[pithymaxim]

now you know the pressure dames in Hollywood face...why they scarf and barf...

[msfiskvletterman]

4/21/08
8:12pm
Alexandria, VA

Don't feel bad about a bad reaction to your face, Jason--surely, the reaction to my face would be worse.

[vanhammersly]

woah, dude

[hughster1]

Jason seems like a nice guy and deserving of his success. But - for him to say that he was unemployed "for five years" - that just ain't true. He had a big leg up on most actors simply by virtue of where he grew up; he was a regular on a network TV show at 19 and got his next show at 25. Looking at his imbd profile, there were years that were slow, but he always worked. I discuss this very issue in more detail here, if you want to check it out: http://bignewsreport.wordpress.com/2008/04/19/an-open-letter-to-jason-segel/

[strifeknot]

Judd Apatow, along with Joss Whedon, is by far the most overrated producer of crap in America today.

[fightorleave2]

Did he make the very bad movie called, The Squid and the Whale?

It got great reviews but I saw it and, besides the fact that it wasn't very original, it sucked.

[pithymaxim]

Noah Baumbach

[EllieLA]

I felt the same way about The Squid and the Whale! Seems the critics just liked it because it was endless and depressing...What a horrible disappointment!
But, yeah, that was Noah Baumbach. How I hate him.

[ZombieKiller]

oh no, everybody watch out. we've got an internet critic here. it's comedy, man, not Shakespearean theatre. the movies are funny.

[strifeknot]

They aren't funny, that's the problem. Shakespeare, on the other hand, wrote some very funny plays, that of course were intelligent.

Apatow is a lowbrow schlockmeister.

[Gasparilla]

I saw Sarah Marshall and I had the same reaction. Overrated, some good scenes, but not nearly as good as the hype.

[LittleLiberal]

The focus group that didn't like his face must be crazy. That, or it was a really horribly photoshopped picture, which seems to be the norm these days for movie posters.

[TheLastProphet]

awesome movie. The frontal shocked the audience, I guess that's what it was meant to do. Not necessary, but I understand the motive. This was a break out film for several actors, kudos. instant classic.

[loril]

No worries, Jason. You rock. Freaks and Geeks was simply one of the best shows ever televised. It was pretty much a documentary of my high school years. And the Nick character was my favorite. I gave up on network tv after they pulled the plug on Freaks and Geeks. It was pretty much the last straw for me. (If I loved something, they always killed it.) That show was so full of great talent. Seeing the mighty Joel Hodgson portray a smarmy "last days of disco dude" was the icing on the cake.

So, I'll be sure to check out Sarah Marshall...And seeing Jason Segel on the poster would only enhance my interest in the film.

[MaracaKabob]

I love this guy.

[dora rice]

very funny guy.

[DeanLowe]

I wish I could suck Sarah Marshall aka Kristen Bell.

[JamieFrevele]

Aww, I don't have an unfavorable reaction to your face, Jason Segel. You bending over naked, maybe then.