Get Him to the Greek

Director: Nicolas Stoller
Cast: Russell Brand, Aaron Hill, Elizabeth Moss, Rose Byrne and Colm Meaney
Releasing in cinemas: 17 June 2010
Rated: MA 15+

Predictably, Get Him to the Greek turns out to be another Judd Apatow outing as producer, with his blatant blend of gross-out, behind-the-bike-shed jokes and language not frequently used at mothers’ clubs. The film is aimed squarely at his fans with high spots and belly laughs, yet lacks a full throttle attack on the funny bone. Some patches are dull and drag the knuckles.

Amiable rotund geekish Aaron Green (Jonah Hill) comes up with one bright idea in a meeting at the L.A. record company where he works under wildly uptight boss Sergio Roma (Sean Combs). Aaron wants to revive the flagging career of Brit rock idol Aldous Snow (Russell Brand), who fell from favour with his ludicrous and racist offensive album “African Child” and has been struggling ever since. The plan is to have Aldous repeat his successful 1999 Greek Theater show on its tenth anniversary and get massive media cover for the event.

A drug-blithered Aldous agrees to this, and Aaron cops the enormous task of getting the cantankerous star from London to the Greek Theater in Los Angeles in 72 hours - easier said than done. Aaron’s just broken off with his partner Daphne (Elizabeth Moss) so rather easily succumbs to the sex and drug excesses enjoyed by Aldous; which provides many a hiccup on the journey, including one particularly violent alcoholic episode in Las Vegas - shades of Hangover.

Apatow enjoys putting his heroes in appalling situations, often at the expense of bodily functions. Jonah Hill (The Invention of Lying) as Aaron doesn’t get off lightly. He has to vomit at inconvenient times, have sex on an exploding toilet, and is forced to act as a drug mule for Aldous. He has stifle a sneeze which could prove calamitous with a balloon of heroin up his ‘bottom hole’. Finally he’s expected to enter into a threesome with his own girlfriend Daphne and Aldous. How far does poor Aaron have to go to keep his job?

The saving grace of the movie is the drug addled rock star - Aldous Snow channeling Mick Jagger - and his rocky relationship with Aaron the ‘affable nitwit’. Snow’s music-video also featuring hottie Jackie Q (Rose Byrne) remains an hilarious highlight as they perform “African Child”, an inspired politically incorrect satire.

You might remember we were introduced to Aldous Snow in an earlier Apatow adventure, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, in which Jonah Hill also appeared. Russell Brand (St. Trinian’s) in a secondary role stole the picture, coming into his own as the over-the-top rock star. Apatow often gives strong parts to supporting players. Sarah Marshall was Nicolas Stoller’s debut as director. He’s back again and doing a workmanlike job writing as well as directing something of a sequel, although not as endearing, and he allows pace to slacken.

Sharp one-liners, especially in Russell Brand’s dialogue, keep laughs coming at intervals, and the supporting cast bring a fair share of fun including Sean Combs (Monster’s Ball) as the mildly demented record company boss. He gets the last say right at the end of the credits if you sit them out. Rose Byrne (I Love You Too) gives a spunky portrayal as Snow’s flaky girlfriend. Elizabeth Moss (Did You Hear About The Morgans?) brings a touch of dignity to the part of Daphne. Colm Meaney (The Damned United) makes his presence felt as the rock star’s belligerent father.

Apatow fans will approve of the ribald gags and probably enjoy the final concert, which is given a fair deal of screen time. While nowhere in the class of The Hangover, it’s still amusing enough to warrant a visit for those who enjoyed Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Knocked Up, and The 40-Year-Old Virgin.

John Bale