'Get Him to the Greek' Movie Review

Get Him to the Greek is the funniest film of 2010 by a long-shot. Delivering the most fun I've had in a theater this year, this R-rated raunchy, wacky spin-off from 2008's Forgetting Sarah Marshall is loaded with jokes that connect, it's fast-paced, and even has a bit of heart to it (it is a Judd Apatow production, after all). The R-rating is rightfully deserved as Get Him to the Greek pushes the limits in its attempts to elicit laughs. It's not for everyone, taking the whole sex, drugs and rock 'n roll theme to the absolute extremes, but if you're not easily offended and ready to laugh, Get Him to the Greek doesn't disappoint.

Russell Brand's flamboyant rock star, Aldous Snow, was the funniest thing about Forgetting Sarah Marshall (the Dracula puppet show came in a very close second). Still, going into Get Him to the Greek I was worried I'd grow tired of too much Aldous Snow/Russell Brand. Too much of a good thing and all that, you know? But my concerns were, thankfully, unfounded as Get Him to the Greek isn't just a one-note film. Brand's not everyone's cup of tea, but for those who are into the wild Brit and his wicked sense of humor, Get Him to the Greek is not to be missed. As insanely funny as it is raunchy, Get Him to the Greek is one of the few films of the summer of 2010 that actually does fulfill its promises.

The Story

Russell Brand and Jonah Hill reunite, with Brand playing the character he created in Forgetting Sarah Marshall while Hill's a completely different character from FSM. Confused? Don't be...just go with it and move on. This time around Hill plays Aaron Green, a record company employee who loves rock and roll and is committed to his job and his live-in girlfriend. When his boss, Sergio (Sean Combs), asks for suggestions on how to perk up sales, Aaron chimes in with the idea of a 10 year anniversary concert by Aldous Snow at the Greek Theatre. Snow used to be a rock god, but after committing career suicide with the horrible "African Child" song/music video, an absolutely disastrous attempt at displaying an awareness and empathy for those in need, he's in desperate need of a career resurrection. When none of his other minions come up with a better suggestion, Sergio commands Aaron to go to London, pick up Aldous and get him to the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles in time for the concert that's now just a few days away.

What follows is one of the most twisted road trips ever in a feature film. Aaron's on a tight timeline but Aldous doesn't operate that way and so getting him from Point A (London) to Point B (New York for interviews) to Point C (Los Angeles for the concert) involves everything from Aaron stuffing drugs up his butt to sex with total strangers to the rubbing of furry walls in an effort to gain inner peace. There's fighting and fleeing and much debauchery going on as Aaron tries his best to deliver the wild man on time and in one piece, while trying not to get swept up into Aldous' hard-partying, 'looks glamourous from the outside but doesn't hold up on close inspection' ways.

The Acting

Brand and Hill make for an unlikely but unbeatable tag team in Get Him to the Greek. Hill's given a respectable, responsible doctor girlfriend (Mad Men's Elisabeth Moss showing she has a funny side) and that grounded-in-reality relationship makes us pull for Hill's Aaron when he's being forced into shoving drugs up his rear, injecting adrenaline, and getting sick all over himself on his road trip from hell. And Brand's Aldous also has relationship issues that make him human and not just a silly, drugged up singer. Hill and Brand, and Hill and Moss, have great chemistry and balance each other out, and as their relationships evolve over the course of the film, we genuinely like each of them as people - thanks to their top-notch performances.

Rose Byrne disappears into the character of Jackie Q, Aldous' ex-squeeze and mother of his child. Seriously, it took me half the movie to figure out Jackie Q was Byrne because this character's so far outside of the box Byrne is normally locked in in feature films. With great comic timing and a killer song about her anus, Greek lets Byrne let her hair down and have a little fun, and the 30 year old actress takes full advantage of the opportunity.

Colm Meaney shows up as Aldous' Vegas lounge singer dad, a guy you'd want to hang out with for the night but not on an ongoing basis. The apple hasn't fallen far from the tree and as Aldous reconnects with his father, he learns important life lessons about himself. Yes, Greek gets a little deep and goes philosophical once in a while, and yet it doesn't detract from the film's edgy comedy. What it does is show Brand's surprisingly deep and has another side to him previously untapped in films.

Everyone's terrific in Get Him to the Greek, but there's one actor who just slams it home: Sean Combs. Yes, P Diddy - or whatever you want to call him - can actually act. It seemed gimmicky to have Combs play a record company exec, but he's the absolute perfect person for the part. Combs steals scene after scene, going up against two comedic actors with a lot more experience under their belts and giving as good as he gets.

The Bottom Line

Writer/director Nicholas Stoller paid as much attention to developing the characters as he did in writing the outrageous jokes and in thinking up the outrageous situations he puts the characters through, and Hill's Aaron and Brand's Aldous emerge as more than just caricatures sent out on a hilarious road trip. Collaborating with his actors, Stoller fleshed out his characters while poking fun wherever possible at pop culture. The result is a film that stands up to the original and surpasses it in laughs delivered.

Get Him to the Greek includes serious scenes, but never takes itself too seriously. And Stoller never passes up an opportunity to put his leads through hell, with poor Hill getting the worst of it. Hill's pain is our gain as Get Him to the Greek, in all its raunchy glory, is the best comedy of 2010 (thus far).

GRADE: A-

Get Him to the Greek was directed by Nicholas Stoller and is rated R for strong sexual content and drug use throughout, and pervasive language.

Theatrical Release: June 4, 2010

Disclosure: This review is based on a screening provided by the studio. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.