Rating:  

Apatow Productions, Spyglass Entertainment, Relativity Media, and Universal Pictures.

Written By: Nicholas Stoller, adapted from characters created by Jason Segel for the film, “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”.

The terrific 2008 romantic comedy, “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”, offered many memorable moments. Lead actor Jason Segel’s willingness to place himself in vulnerable and embarrassing situations on screen comes to mind, as does Segel’s smart and intelligent script. For me, the movie just had a different feel than most romantic comedies – one that was edgy and raunchy, but also sweet and heartwarming, and one that didn’t pander to the lowest common denominator. Oh, and there was that one other memorable component as well…

Russell Brand.

Previously unknown to most Americans at the time, Brand’s star-making turn as the arrogant, aloof, and completely self-absorbed rockstar, Aldous Snow, was a flawless comedic performance which only amplified the film’s greatness. Now, after a couple of MTV Award hosting gigs, a best-selling autobiography, and an engagement to one of the biggest Pop/Rock singers of the day, Katy Perry, Brand returns to the character which made him a movie star and delivers an ever better embodiment of the mythical superstar in “Get Him To The Greek.”

Alongside Brand, Jonah Hill stars as Aaron Green (not the same character who had a lustful crush on Snow in “…Sarah Marshall”), a young record company intern for Pinnacle Records. As a money making idea for his label, Aaron is tasked with bringing Snow and his band, Infant Sorrow, to the States for the 10-year anniversary of one of the music industry’s most successful concerts – a 1999 performance by Snow’s band at the famous Greek Theater in Los Angeles. Aaron’s boss, Sergio Roma (Sean “P. Diddy” Combs), gives Aaron 72 hours to go get Snow in England, bring him to New York for a performance on “The Today Show”, and then to Los Angeles for a soundcheck and the concert.

Complicating matters is who and what Aldous Snow has become once Aaron finds him. Three years prior to Aaron’s trip, Snow and Infant Sorrow released “African Child”, a recording so terrible that it was branded as “the worst thing to happen to Africa since Apartheid.” The song and album killed Snow’s career and his on/off 7-year relationship to British pop star, Jackie Q (Rose Byrne) has ended once more. Worse yet, Snow has fallen out of sobriety and is binging drugs and alcohol left and right. Not having performed alone or with Infant Sorrow since the “African Child” debacle, Snow hesitantly agrees to do the gig.

If you sense some dramatic overtones in the plot, you are right to do so. Surprisingly, “Get Him To The Greek” packs many laughs and unpredictable situational humor with surprising moments of poignancy. On paper, poignancy may not seem to fit in,to a screwball, drug-and-drink, over-the-top, road-trip style of a film. However, to director and screenwriter Nicholas Stoller’s credit, those “softer” moments balance the proceedings wonderfully here. Snow may be oil to Aaron’s water, but soon a bond is formed as Aaron is willing to do whatever it takes, with little vanity or regard for his own well being, in an effort to bring Snow to that theater. And as you may expect, Snow runs Aaron through the ringer.

“Get Him To The Greek” is a comedy first and foremost and clearly succeeds as one of the better comedies of recent months. Through the incessant party scenes, the film does fully embrace its raunchy R-rated moments and we are frequently reminded that Aaron cannot quite hold his liquor as well as Aldous can. But again, there are those moments where the movie finds an emotional heart and provides surprising depth. Many of these particular moments center on Aldous, as we learn more and more of how Snow’s life led him to being the bombastic, in-your-face, confrontational superego he seems to be. As with most Alpha/Type A personalities, Snow is really nothing at all like the persona he projects. To Brand’s credit, he sells the convincing human qualities of Aldous Snow very well.

I am happy to report that “Get Him To The Greek” is a better movie than I expected. A hilarious, laugh-out-loud performance from Sean “P. Diddy” Combs as the addled and borderline crazy record executive certainly helps. Cameos from the likes of Pink, Christina Aguilera, Meredith Vieira, Metallica’s Lars Ulrich, and Paul Krugman (!!!), the Nobel Prize winning economist, are wins all the way around. Supporting turns from Rose Byrne, as British pop star Jackie Q, and Elisabeth Moss, as Aaron’s medical student girlfriend with sudden relocation prospects, provide a nice contrast to the insanity Aaron and Aldous are enduring in their 72 hours together.

“Get Him To The Greek” may seem like a slapstick, audacious, dirty-minded comedy. And it is. But it is also a thoughtful, well-acted and well-written comedic fable that one would be mistaken to dismiss without a proper viewing.

Should I See It?

For fans of “The Hangover” and the smarter R-rated comedies of recent years, here is another film that will make you smile and laugh out loud.

Russell Brand and Jonah Hill. Jonah Hill and Russell Brand. And Diddy. Each balance the other with terrific comedic timing and together, they have tremendous chemistry.

The script and story. Save a couple of moments late in the film, Nicholas Stoller has written a smart, engaging, and likable film which wins you over by being such a balanced work.

The cameos are inspired. Look for Sarah Marshall’s return and Paul Krugman drew a huge response at the screening I attended! And he gets lines too!

Those resistant to vulgar and raunchy humor, will find much to dislike here and will likely be turned off before it hits that extra gear in the second half.

Russell Brand is going to come off to some as annoying, unfunny, and too ridiculous to be believed. Just the nature of his character, I suppose.

One particular confrontation between Aaron and his girlfriend late in the film may be so over-the-top that it loses many in the audience.

The more serious moments in the second half will not work for everyone.