Russell Brand, Jonah Hill Rock in Very Funny ‘Get Him to the Greek’

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Rating: 3.5/5.0

CHICAGO – Taking a character who was created as an obnoxious supporting one and giving him his own spin-off movie sounds like a recipe for disaster. Despite generally liking its stars and enjoying “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” I was dreading the quasi-sequel “Get Him to the Greek”. There were just too many screenwriting pitfalls in which the film could have and should have fallen in. The fact that writer/director Nicholas Stoller hilariously walks the tightrope and falls into none of them makes “Greek” one of the most surprisingly enjoyable and consistent comedies of the year.

Aldous Snow (Russell Brand) was once the biggest rock and roll star in the world. He sold out shows and kept tabloids in business with his headline-grabbing relationship with pop star girlfriend Jackie Q (Rose Byrne). Aldous and Jackie made the mistake of taking themselves too seriously by making a single called “African Child,” notoriously called “the worst thing to happen to Africa since apartheid,” and it totally destroyed Snow’s career. As his star fell, Jackie moved on and Aldous was left with nothing but booze, groupies, and drugs to keep him in the public eye.

Read Brian Tallerico’s full review of “Get Him to the Greek” in our reviews section.

Years after his fall, a totally insane music exec named Sergio (Sean ‘P. Diddy’ Combs) is berating his staff into finding the next money-making project for a business in decline. Aaron Green (Jonah Hill) has stayed loyal to his childhood rock icon and suggests holding a ten-year anniversary concert for Snow’s legendary concert at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles as a way to boost sales of his back catalog and bring the last remaining rock star back to the spotlight.

With no better ideas, Sergio orders Aaron to fly to England, pick up Aldous, and serve as his chaperone across the pond and to the show. Of course, before he leaves town, Aaron gets into a fight with his girlfriend (Elisabeth Moss of “Mad Men”), leaving him free to do a cannonball into the deep end of the rock and roll lifestyle.

Continuing reading for Brian Tallerico’s full “Get Him to the Greek” review.

Get Him to the Greek
Photo credit: Glen Wilson/Universal