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