Russell Brand has been preparing to play Aldous Snow for quite some time.
The bawdy Brit’s off-screen antics mesh beautifully with that of his famous screen persona, and that meta-reality is just one reason why “Get Him to the Greek” is the best new comedy of the summer.
Faint praise? Youbetcha. But it still brings the laughs.
“Greek” is a logical off-shoot from “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” the 2008 farce which introduced Brand to the movie-going public.
Brand stole that film, but he’s got a tougher task here.
The comic returns as Aldous Snow, a rock icon whose career tanks with the release of “African Child,” an insulting attempt to feel the pain of an impoverished people.
But record company drone Aaron Greenberg (Jonah Hill) still believes in Aldous. So Aaron pitches a comeback concert for Aldous at the Greek Theater to his boss, Sergio (Sean Combs), to revive the rocker’s career.
Getting Aldous to the venue won’t be easy. He’s fallen off the wagon – hard – after breaking up with his longtime girlfriend (Rose Byrne, playing against type with alacrity).
The Aaron/Aldous combination clicks in their opening meeting, the actors’ comic sensibilities clashing with near-precision under writer/director Nicholas Stoller’s gaze.
Brand is the real deal, but the pleasant surprise here is how Hill competes for our attention. He’s a straight man who draws as many laughs as Brand, and he’s equally deft in detailing someone trying to juggle career aspirations and a long-term relationship.
Producer Judd Apatow makes sure the leads get more than capable support. Combs is a comic find here, riffing on his own image while stoking one of the film’s most hilarious sequences. And Byrne is a blast, a sexy pop tart spoofing everyone from Britney Spears to the Spice Girls.
“Greek” falters at times, particularly during an ill-devised sex scene meant to … well, it’s not quite clear what the purpose is besides delivering a few stale laughs.
And attempts to humanize Aldous don’t always succeed. The character’s negligent father (Colm Meaney) never gels as either a supporting player or comic foil, even if Brand shows some real acting chops when conveying the inner pain of a rock god.
“Get Him to the Greek” can’t let our rock hero enjoy his lifestyle too much. Some last minute hand-wringing slows the film’s momentum, but we’re still left with a belly-full of laughs and the sense that Brand has officially arrived as a movie star.
(Photo: Jonah Hill and Russell Brand are on the run in “Get Him to the Greek,” the quasi-sequel to “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”/Universal Pictures)
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AGREED! I laughed so hard I had tears running down my cheeks. I can’t remember the last time I laughed so hard. And I wasn’t a fan of Sarah Marshall, so go figure.
I thought Combs was just brilliant in this movie and I have to take back all the bad things I’ve said about Hill, including that he looks like a creepy guy who would be prone to putting mirrors on his shoes.
Russell Brand kept me laughing, but oddly, I thought Hill and Comb provided the biggest laughs.
I never see a movie twice in the theater, but I’d consider seeing this one again because I think I missed some of it due to my own loud laughter.