Susan Granger’s review of “Get Him to the Greek” (Universal Pictures)
Spinning off from “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” this crude Judd Apatow comedy focuses on Aldous Snow (Russell Brand), a famous British rocker who descended into drugs and depravity after a disastrous music video flop called “African Child.”
Nevertheless, he still has loyal fans. Like Aaron Green (Jonah Hill), a naïve 24 year-old wannabe recording executive, who successfully pitches a Snow 10th anniversary comeback concert at the Greek Theater to his manic mogul boss, Sergio Roma (Sean ‘P. Diddy’ Combs). Bidding farewell to his perpetually sleep-deprived intern fiancée, Daphne (Elizabeth Moss from “Mad Men”), Aaron is dispatched to London to escort Snow to Manhattan to appear on the “Today” show and then on to Los Angeles for the big event.
With the clock ticking on his career-making, 72-hour assignment, Aaron soon discovers that not only is Snow the most conniving, self-destructive musician in the world but he’s also pining for his lost love, model/pop star Jackie Q (Rose Byrne from “Damages”), who happens to be living in LaLa Land with their seven year-old son. But, en route, they must make a detour to Las Vegas to find Snow’s estranged father (Colm Meaney). And then there’s the heroin that Snow insists that Aaron smuggle aboard.
Writer/director Nicholas Stoller was obviously influenced by “My Favorite Year” (1982) in which a young writer is given the daunting task of chaperoning a carousing movie star (Peter O’Toole) because the concept is similar, although this vulgar re-imagining is lowbrow and inferior to that comedy classic. Real-life record producer Sean Combs is a scene-stealer, along with some surprising cameos, and Russell Brand’s performance scenes were filmed during his “Scandalous” show at London’s O2 arena.
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Get Him to the Greek” rocks in with an outrageously silly 7. As of early June, this wild, unrestrained roller coaster ride of demented debauchery is the funniest movie of the year – although the long, hot summer with its motley assortment of popcorn pictures still stretches ahead of us.
