Get Him to the Greek (Nicholas Stoller, 2010)

If it wasn’t for Russell Brand, this film would definitely not have been as entertaining. Not that I’m saying it was a fantastically hilarious film, because unfortunately, it wasn’t − but the film is pretty much carried by Brand’s presence.

I’m a fan of Russell Brand’s humour and wit, and that’s what drew me to Get Him to the Greek in the first place. However, his brand (no pun intended) of clever and articulate off-the-cuff comedy is not really able to be utilised in a medium like film, where spontaneous natural humour is replaced with scripted and rehearsed lines. Nevertheless, his vivid personality still shone through in this film and he seemed an easy fit for his character: British rock star Aldous Snow.

The film is about record company intern Aaron Green, who is given the task to bring Aldous Snow to the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles in time for his scheduled performance there. Obviously, escorting the rock star from London to the States turns out to be no easy feat and Green has to make his way through a mine field of drugs, parties and other obstacles.

I hadn’t seen Forgetting Sarah Marshall before watching Get Him to the Greek but I’m not surprised to see this spin-off film − Brand’s personality is big enough for its own film. On the other hand, Jonah Hill, who I’ve seen playing the lead in other films like Superbad (which I’m not a real fan of), seemed to almost fade from the spotlight in comparison to Brand’s character. I was surprised to see Rose Byrne play the character she did: Jackie Q, Aldous’ troubled ex-girlfriend. After seeing her in dramas and films like Troy, it’s interesting to see her take a more comedic route. (And of course, her role in Bridesmaids is further proof of her comedic capabilities). Meanwhile, I found Sean Combs (or P. Diddy)'s role quite off-putting − I’m not a fan of his character or performance in the film, so fortunately it wasn’t a major part.

So while there were some entertaining moments in this film, there were equally awkward moments, such as the threesome near the end of the film − that was quite random. Anyway, the film has it’s happy ending, although you get the feeling the characters haven’t really progressed much since the beginning of the film − it’s all just one big Brand show for the film’s audience.

3/5

The Proposal (Ann Fletcher, 2009)

Judging from the trailers I had seen for this film, it was going to fit right within Sandra Bullock’s oeuvre of romantic comedies. Now I like Bullock − I think she’s a great fit for these type of roles but unfortunately, it’s a genre that doesn’t see a lot of variation or originality.

The different approach that this film tries to take revolves around the fact that a female character “proposes” to a male character, instead of the usual ‘boys asks girl’ scenario. However, as we see, this “proposal” for marriage is for entirely different purposes. Bullock plays Margaret, an editor of a publishing company and after finding out that she is about to be deported back to Canada because of an expired visa, she pressures her assistant, Andrew Paxton (played by Ryan Reynolds), to marry her so she can stay in the country.

From the start of The Proposal, we see that Margaret and Andrew are two very different, seemingly incompatible people. Bullock’s character surprised me with her coldness and her attitude towards her assistant, almost reminiscent of Meryl Streep’s character in The Devil Wears Prada. (On a sidenote, why are editors always portrayed this way − none of the editors I know are anything like this!)

Anyway, not surprisingly, as Margaret gets to know Andrew and his family, we see the attraction grow between them. There are a few unusual scenes, such as when Margaret and Andrew bump into each other in the bedroom, both naked. But I suspect this scene was just an excuse to provide some extra visual interest for admirers of Bullock and Reynolds! I found some of the events at the end of the film a little strange − while the resolution wasn’t itself entirely unexpected, the way the film reaches that conclusion is quite weird. Also, on this note, I have to mention Betty White, who plays Andrew’s grandmother, or “Gammy”, as she is referred to in the film. White’s presence in this film becomes more significant towards the end. Anyway, although a little jarring at times, I give the film credit for trying to approach what is quite an exhausted genre in a different way. And it always helps having Bullock around too.

3/5

City of Angels (Brad Silberling, 1998)

Well, for something that started out as a sweet film, this one ended powerfully and completely shifted gear. I actually expected Meg Ryan to play an angel in this film but turns out Nicolas Cage was (on second thought, I only saw male angels, which is strange). As the title suggests, City of Angels is about an angel, and the decision he has to make between living as a human or continuing to live as an immortal angel after he falls in love with Meg Ryan’s character, Maggie, who is a heart surgeon. So one of those films about making a huge life choice and sacrificing something for love. Obviously this type of romantic drama is right within Meg Ryan’s domain so I was interested to see how Cage would fare in this genre (recently, I’ve just seen him in so many action films). And I’m glad to saw Cage really held up well − he is a versatile actor and I don’t think people give him enough credit.