‘Get Him to the Greek’ is Consistently Funny, if Not Hilarious
-----‘Forgetting Sarah Marshall’ has become something of a comedy cult classic over the last few years since its release. I myself have found it better with each new viewing, and its undeniable resonance has only helped its case. However, despite your personal opinion on the films’ overall comedic merit, one fact remains true; Russell Brand’s rock star Aldous Snow was hands down the films best entity. Bringing laughs with every casual line, Brand’s performance was superb. The authenticity and suave mentality brought to his portrayal of the laid back pop sensation made him both hilarious and awesome. And so it seems fitting that the character would get his very own film a few years later under the returning guidance of ‘Forgetting Sarah Marshall’ Director Nicholas Stoller, in addition to yet another ‘Sarah Marshall’ alumnus in actor Jonah Hill. But with both Hill and Brand typically playing supporting roles, the question arises of whether or not they can carry a whole feature film on their own merits.
-----When a record company needs a boost, it’s the idea of lowly Aaron Green to bring recently defamed Aldous Snow back to the U.S. for a Tenth Anniversary Concert at the Greek Theater. Desperate boss Sergio Roma reluctantly puts Aaron on the job, sending him all the way to England with the mission of getting Snow to the Greek within seventy two hours, not to mention a pit stop performance at “The Today Show.” Naturally, things get wild.
-----Russell Brand once again reprises his role as Aldous Snow, a famous rocker who loves to party. The always funny Brand is perfect for the role, but due to the plots foundation, he is unable to be the casual and cool guy from ‘Forgetting Sarah Marshall.’ A hardcore drug addict and drunk, Snow is in a state of perpetual depression, and while Brand remains consistently funny, there is little in the way of his hilarious small role in ‘Forgetting Sarah Marshall.’ Nonetheless, it’s great to see him as a leading man, and his chemistry with costar Jonah Hill, also new to starring roles save ‘Superbad,’ is consistently strong. As for Hill, he also lands about half way between his best comedic day and his typical level of humor. For despite a script that is inherently frantic and occasionally contrived, Hill and Brand’s odd duo is a humorous and always entertaining one, and ultimately the lifeblood of the film. While movies like the dreadful ‘MacGruber’ seem to prove that small skits can’t effectively be translated into feature length humor, ‘Get Him to the Greek’ seems to attest that supporting characters can provide adequate material for a full runtime, even if the results don’t quite reach the heights they did in ‘Forgetting Sarah Marshall.’ That being said, Brand was the absolute highlight of ‘Sarah Marshall,’ and so a whole film on a slightly less-funny Aldous Snow may well be better than a film with just bits of him at his best. Supporting roles include Colm Meaney as Snow’s father, Elisabeth Moss as Green’s girlfriend, and Sean Combs as maniacal Producer Sergio Roma, a decent character that’d like to be as funny as Tom Cruise’s Les Grossman in ‘Tropic Thunder,’ but doesn’t really come close at all. Also be sure to watch out for a slew of celebrity cameos, including one that proves a highlight of the film.
-----A large part of what makes ‘Get him to the Greek’ an entertaining film, in addition to strong comedic performances from its leads, is the universe the characters live in. Just as Marvel has Iron Man popping up in ‘The Incredible Hulk’ and has Nick Fury popping up in ‘Iron Man,’ a song from ‘Forgetting Sarah Marshall’ here and a cameo from the Marshall character herself (Kristen Bell) there, all help to give ‘Greek’ a unique and familiar brand (no pun intended) of comedy. It’s also very relative to Kevin Smith’s “View Askewniverse” universe of characters, where Jay and Silent Bob, among other characters, make an appearance in nearly every production. As for ‘Greek,’ there are however, problems with the script, including the aforementioned harried pace that comes with the plotline, and the loss of some of the lightheartedness seen in the film’s pseudo-predecessor, ‘Forgetting Sarah Marshall.’ With Hill and Brand extracting every ounce of humor they can, the material often doesn’t live up to its potential, and thus chuckles take the place of any would-be laugh out loud moments. The script also heads into some surprisingly dark territory, with Snow being a very distraught and depressed character; granted it’s all handled in a humorous way, but it’s certainly not all a walk in the daisies for our lovable pop star. It should be noted that the few scenes of semi-seriousness are handled well by the stars, and in addition to drawing out some similarities to Apatow-Directed dramedy ‘Funny People,’ they also manage to provide the film with a heart that was often in question.
-----On a technical basis ‘Get Him to the Greek’ is as much a smorgasbord of varying quality as the rest of the film. It’s shot in very dark settings for the most part, given the nature of the nightclubs perused, and something of the seventy-two-hours gets lost I translation as night and day show up almost randomly, causing a likely intentional disorientation for the audience in what seems a conveniently long three days. It also takes on an appropriately stale yet also occasionally bland look from behind the lens. Some of the cinematography is decent though, providing everything from a tongue’s-eye-view to a backward pan down a hallway our heroes are escaping from. As far as raunchiness goes, ‘Greek’ provides more than enough for producer Judd Apatow's diehard fans, and only really takes it to a stupid and unfunny level during one ill timed and uncalled for area that comes off contrived and utterly forced into a five minute segment of the film; that said it’s nothing too irredeemable and does play some twisted part of the story. Other than that don’t watch it with your mom and anyone who’s seen any of the recent slew of raunchy Apatow titles will have nothing unexpected coming there way. The actual musical material for the film proves to be one of its highlights, as Infant Sorrow (Snow’s band) plays a number of hilarious and actually quite catchy songs. A thoughtful rendition of “My Beans and Mash” and the contagious crowd-pleaser “The Clap” may very well find their way onto many iPods. And of course, who could forget the controversial “African Child'” that sets so much of the film into play.
-----‘Forgetting Sarah Marshall,’ the ultimate companion piece and arguably essential preview for ‘Get Him to the Greek,’ has, as I previously mentioned, improved with each new viewing. Thus it begs the question of whether or not ‘Greek’ will have the same fate, proving a funnier film with each additional viewing. Regardless, on its own after a single viewing, ‘Get Him to the Greek’ holds up well. Its main detractor is an absence of any uproarious laughs, but it can boast fairly consistent smiles throughout its runtime. It certainly won’t prove to be the surprise hit that ‘The Hangover’ was upon its release the same weekend one year ago, but it’s hardly fair to compare ‘Greek’ to the wildly popular comedy sensation that is ‘The Hangover.’ Ultimately, all who love the ever-growing establishment of worthy raunchy humor will have little to complain about here, and accordingly Hill and Brand fans should feel good about seeing this one in theaters. For those others who find themselves interested but unsold by the aforementioned attributes, a rent is probably best. And finally, for those of you who are easily offended by sex, drugs, and alcohol; stay away.
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