Raucous Greek a Rockin' Smash
Aaron Green (Jonah Hill) has made his play for the big time. He’s convinced his boss Sergio Roma (Sean Combs) this he should bring legendary and out-of-control rock star Aldous Snow (Russell Brand) from his home in London back to Los Angeles to celebrate the tenth anniversary of an infamous concert. It could mean hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue for the mogul’s beleaguered record label, and while the event will certainly court controversy it’s just the kind of controversy the company needs.
Russell Brand and Jonah Hill in Get Him to the Greek © Universal Pictures
But controlling Aldous Snow isn’t easy, especially since the rock icon has begun a downward spiral back into booze and drugs since the dissolution of his relationship with model and pop star Jackie Q (Rose Byrne). Now, with only days to get him to the Greek Theatre in L.A. for his sold out show, Aaron will have to be the conscience and his guide all the while trying not to succumb to the temptations of stardom like booze, women and sex that litter each and every step of their 5,456-mile journey.
As lukewarm as I was towards director Nicholas Stoller’s Forgetting Sarah Marshall I have no sort of reservations about his sort-of sequel follow-up effort Get Him to the Greek. This coarse, laugh-out-loud funny comedy is a true down-and-dirty sensation that understands the world of Rock and Roll just about perfectly, and other than a relatively watered down finale that did little for me this is one summertime effort I couldn’t get enough of.
I think calling this film a sequel is a tiny bit unfair. Sure Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell) makes a cameo appearance of sorts, but other than that the only liking element here is Brand’s rock star Aldous Snow. Otherwise this is a completely different animal. Tighter, more streamlined and self-assured, this movie knows exactly what it is and is certain in what it is doing, and while there is some of that same messy emotionally crippling uncertainty going on there’s not so much of it that it ways down the proceedings.
The bottom line is that this movie made me laugh. A lot. Out loud. Repeatedly. There are scenes, especially early on, that are so splendiferous and hysterical I thought I was going to have a coronary I was laughing so hard. There’s a great bit at the “Today” show (featuring a spirited cameo from Meredith Vieira) I didn’t want to see end, while the entire sequence in Los Vegas revolving around Aldous’ deadbeat father Jonathan (an outstanding Colm Meaney) is as inspired as anything I’ve seen this whole year.
Hill hits it out of the park, the kid just seeming to get better and better with each and every film. But as good as he is Brand is the real revelation, and no matter what you think of his real-life antics at awards shows and in the tabloids that doesn’t make him any less superb here. He makes Aldous a truly tragic character you can’t help but feel sorry for while at the same time violently laughing at. This is a surprisingly three-dimensional performance, and while final product is hardly deep or all that world shattering that doesn’t make what Brand accomplishes any less sensational.
Stoller’s script runs out of steam towards the end, an odd third act threesome more bizarrely uncomfortable then it is anything else. In the end, getting to the Greek isn’t anywhere near as interesting as the trouble it took to keep Aldous focused and on schedule, the last ten minutes or so feeling a bit uncertain and underwhelming compared to all the action that had come before.
Thankfully the spell this comedy casts is more than enough to make up for its relative shortcomings. It helps that the songs are a total hoot worthy of listening to on their own, and the supporting performances (especially the ones from Combs and Byrne) consistently engage and surprise. The film has a riotous anarchic tone that suits its Rock and Roll personality perfectly, and by the time it was over I was actually sad to see it end. Get Him to the Greek is a Billboard smash, and the song it’s signing one I’m going to be humming throughout the summer and well beyond.
Film Rating: êêê (out of 4)
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