Get Him to the Greek Reviews

Honestly, I thought it was rather disappointing. Indeed, even though 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall' was nothing really original, I thought it was a very nice romantic-comedy and I thought it was a brilliant idea to make a spin-off about Aldous Snow. Furthermore, the story sounded really cool and had some potential to be really outrageous and hilarious. Unfortunately, like I said before, the whole thing didn't really convinced me. The point is that, even though there were definitely some funny scenes, it was never really hilarious and some of the jokes were just terrible. Take Sean Combs, for example. I thought he gave a very decent performance and he was definitely one of the highlights in this movie. However, if his jokes were at first really funny, they wore me down pretty quickly and it was basically the same for the rest of the movie. I mean, Russel Brand and Jonah Hill can be both pretty hilarious so it should have been a riot but, eventually, it was not bad but nothing really mind-blowing whatsoever. For example, not so long ago, I have seen '21 Jump Street' also starring Jonah Hill and the scene where they take some drugs was much better developped and 10 times funnier than the binch drinking/drugs taking scenes they displayed here. Still, Aldous Snow is pretty cool character and I think it is still worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

This film is sorely under-rated both here and IMDB. It is hard for comedy films to connect with a wide audience especially when there is a lot of swearing, sex and drug references as this can alienate a large portion of the audience. Fortunately I love swearing, sex and Drugs, however not specifically in that order.
This film is based on Brand's character from 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall' which is also a great film, but 'GHTTG' has a darker feel, a kind of 'gross-out' comedy without all the 'gross-out', and instead genuinely smart and funny dialogue. Jonah Hill is great as usual and Russell Brand delivers another brilliant performance; however I doubt the role was too much of a stretch for him. The film also has many cameos from some very surprising names as well as an excellent performance by Sean Combs, or P-diddy as he is known to his friends.
This film might not be for everyone, I guess you either love it or you don't, it's all down to your sense of humor. Personally i loved it. This film has some of the funniest scenes I have ever seen, the last movie I saw that really tickled my funny bone in the same way was, 'Deuce Bigalow - European Gigolo', I guess that more about me.

I just sat through this for a second time, because I was unsure whether I had seen the entire movie previously. Turns out, I had, and so while this movie is pretty forgettable, to me, it does have some good moments. The songs, while ridiculous, are well written, and entertaining. The script is pretty good, especially for a spin-off. I don't much care for either Russell Brand or Jonah Hill, but together, they make this movie work.

Overall, a little better than just average, but definitely not overly memorable in the long run, so I think two viewings is more than plenty for my lifetime :). But it's worth watching if you like ridiculous comedies, even if you've never seen "Forgetting Sarah Marshall", who is briefly seen in this movie.

This really feels like two different films jammed into 2 hours. One one hand you have an excessive rock n' roll comedic fantasy that, for the most part, works but on the other hand you have a rather sudden morality tale that awkwardly introduces elements of suicide and relationship drama.

I know it's the status quo for Apatow-involved films to mix raunch with a heart of gold but this is the first time it really didn't seem to work. The rock n' roll excess is the glorious, comedic heart of the film yet we are asked to buy into the after school special that the second half of the film turns into. If there was more time spent developing the characters beyond the stock dramatic fare we have here (Aldous Snow watching old videos of his girlfriend is not good character development) and less time spent on unfunny random dance sequences the movie might have worked better.

It doesn't help that the comedy can be uneven. For every smoking the Jeffrey scene there are two counter productive scenes involving mock music that feels like outtakes from This Is Spinal Tap. The only exception is the hilarious satire on rock star self-importance (African Child) that opens and becomes a recurring theme in the movie.

The big saving grace here is Russell Brand as Aldous Snow. The script doesn't do him justice but he is mostly able to sell the comedic excess and creepiness required. To his credit he is almost able to make the sudden dramatic turns at the end believable. Jonah Hill can't quite escape the flaws of the script. He's playing his role as such a schlub that most of the stuff that happens to him - in both his world and Snow's fantasy world - is utterly unbelievable.

So, while there are moments of comedic brilliance at play here Get Him to the Greek can never quite escape the pitfalls of its script. There are some interesting ideas here but it never coalesces into a cohesive whole.

Opening up with the shooting of Aldos Snow's latest music video and then showing his downward spiral that leads to present day was the hilarious, perfect beginning for this innovative comedic spin-off. If you saw 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall' then this is exactly what you would expect a movie about Aldos Snow to be like. This movie has a heart that I did not expect to see, it's buried under lewd, vulgar and brilliant wit, but it's in there.

Russell Brand just opens his mouth and his words are comedic gold. Jonah Hill takes a step out of his comfort zone, a bit, and plays a "no confidence good guy". (Usually he's the overconfident prick, for all you naysayers). Diddy delivers a surprisingly strong performance that I'm sure shocked anyone who sees him. He's actually hilarious! His repartee with everyone he comes into contact with is spot-on. The entire cast has hilarious one-liners and the two main characters really make this movie a joy to watch.

The plot is actually a creative one, something we don't see a lot of nowadays. Albeit the humor treads into "familiar gross-out" jokes, there are clever jokes too. But it's all you have to expect when following "Rock and Roll personified". Another point I was surprised by was that a lot... a lot of the scenes from the trailers were not in the movie. I thought that was a good and bad thing. Good because it didn't show us stuff we've already seen and gave us the chance to see new stuff. But bad because a few of the scenes were real funny.

excellent film - watched it not knowing anything about ut and damn - what a funny film. Lots of references to the rock and roll lifestyle, sex drugs etc... so if you are broad minded (like russell brand) and enjoy a good laugh then watch this on this recommendation. Jonah hill is so so funny and the partneship between the two stars works wonders. and dare I say (I cant stand Shaun combs) but he is actually really funny also. 10/10

"This is it, Aaron. This is rock n' roll. Did you enjoy the party?"

Judd Apatow is a powerful name in the realm of contemporary comedy, and any film he's merely associated with is automatically something of interest. Apatow's sole 2010 offering, Get Him to the Greek, is a spin-off of 2008's Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and it foregrounds one of the earlier film's supporting characters: the womanising rock star Aldous Snow, played by Russell Brand. The director of Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Nicholas Stoller, even returned as writer-director here. While Get Him to the Greek provides a few big laughs from time to time, the gags are uneven, and the film (similar to its main character) ultimately begins to wear out its welcome as the end draws near. In spite of this, a few memorable set-pieces and instances of sharp satirising makes the film an occasionally amusing commentary on the foibles of rock stardom.

A lackey working for a record company, Aaron Green (Hill) dreams up a grand idea to return rock star Aldous Snow (Brand) to the stage for a special ten-year anniversary concert after the rocker's legacy has been tarnished by a tumultuous relationship, the spectacular failure of a self-important, exploitative single, and years of partying. For his idea, Aaron's boss Sergio Roma (Combs, a.k.a. P. Diddy) gives Aaron the impossible assignment of flying to London and chaperoning Snow to both New York for a talk-show appearance and Los Angeles for the big show. Yet, Snow is notoriously unstable, and he is more interested in partying, drinking, sex and drugs.

With the exception of a fleeting, hilarious cameo for Kristen Bell as Sarah Marshall, Aldous Snow is the only returning character from 2008's Forgetting Sarah Marshall (Jonah Hill also starred in the earlier movie, but as a different character than the one he plays here). The decision to construct an entire feature around Snow was inspired - he stole every scene of Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and demanded more screen time. Thus, chief among the challenges that writer-director Nicholas Stoller faced for Get Him to the Greek was to make Snow feel like more than just a scene-stealing misfit. Fortunately, he mostly succeeded. Snow's fundamental outlandishness was retained, yet the character has been developed into a three-dimensional human here with an emotional arc and a vulnerability barely masked by his trademark exuberance. There is also a poignant aspect to the story that affords an element of human drama, which, like most Apatow efforts, allows Get Him to the Greek to emerge as more than just a brainless laugh-fest.

The trouble with Get Him to the Greek, though, is that the movie grows tiresome, and it feels long in the tooth. No doubt, the movie fares best at its early stages; benefitting from a rapid-fire pace, several compelling performances, and an often hilarious script. Yet, especially once the midway point has passed, the film begins to seriously run out of steam, and it suffers from the same lack of craftsmanship that has plagued a lot of films produced by Apatow's company (see Funny People). Throughout the film, it's evident that Stoller was working with a bare-bones screenplay on the assumption that he and the cast would improvise large chunks, and the film would come together in the editing room (adding credence to this theory is the amount of material seen in trailers that is nowhere to be seen in the final product). The trouble with this approach is that a strong, clear foundation and focus is needed in order to generate an effective pace. It's forgivable when the skits are inspired, but there are too many flat skits that become long, repetitive, and at times utterly awkward. Simply put, the gags become far too scattershot, and the pacing is much too uneven.

In terms of acting, Russell Brand is Russell Brand. As Aldous Snow, he fails to break new ground as he's merely an off-the-wall lunatic. His performance is notably focused, though, and he inhabited the role with terrific abandon. Mention should be made of Snow's music, as well, which is well-crafted and catchy enough for the rocker's fame to be believable. Brand is a terrific singer, too. Meanwhile, Jonah Hill doesn't break much new ground either, but, to his credit, he's not his usual foul-mouthed self from Superbad or Knocked Up - instead, he's somewhat restrained as the straight man in over his head. The biggest surprise here is Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs, who's well-suited to comedy. In fact, he's the comedic highlight of the entire movie. Be sure to stay until the end of the credits, as Diddy gets one last laugh.

Jam-packed with cameos and offering sporadic bursts of inspired hilarity, Get Him to the Greek is better in spurts than as a whole. It's difficult to recommend spending your hard-earned money to see the movie, as it's unable to live up to the promise of its opening half hour and it ultimately becomes a bit of a drag. It's nonetheless enjoyable and at times creative, but, considering the brilliance of other contemporary comedies (such as The Hangover), Get Him to the Greek is lacking.

6.2/10

In 2008, Jason Segel gave us laugh-out-loud brilliance with FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL, a film in which the comedy was consistently solid and bolstered by a surprisingly effective dose of dramatic insight on relationships. That film's pleasures were many, not least of which was the delightfully crazy and hedonistic character Aldous Snow (Russell Brand), a British rock star who specializes in drinking, drugs and sex and doesn't really care for anything else. FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL featured some incredibly well-played scenes between Aldous and a subservient waiter (Jonah Hill), a hardcore fan of the singer, who did everything in his power to please Aldous.

So uproarious were the interactions between Brand and Hill as they played their respective characters that they have been brought back in GET HIM TO THE GREEK for a spin-off of sorts, in which (of course) Brand is reprising his role as the thoroughly unorthodox Aldous, while Hill is playing a different character, who is not so much subservient as he's forced to take on the seemingly insurmountable task of getting Aldous to a concert in Los Angeles. Yes, drugs, alcohol and women are indeed the obstacles that get in the way of this wacky road trip, but not for a second does it get old. Brand and Hill play off each other so well that GET HIM TO THE GREEK can't ever be a boring film.

"Imagine a white, African Christ from space," is among the first lines delivered by Aldous in the film (in reference to himself), which gives the audience a perfect idea of the delightfully offensive humor that they're in for. The film features a hilarious slow-motion sequence (after the two characters have consumed absinthe, of all things) at a dance club, and an insanely gross method to conceal heroin in order to get through airport security. As with the latter case, drugs are often the, um, butt of the joke in GET HIM TO THE GREEK. There's a particularly well-written scene in which a character goes up to hotel reception with the objective of asking for drugs, and the way the request is made is incredibly funny.

The first half of GET HIM TO THE GREEK offers exactly what will be expected by those who are hoping to see more of Brand and Hill humorously play off each other. The second half offers something a little different. The film becomes more dramatic, dealing particularly with the way in which celebrities' agents and managers sometimes manipulate the celebrities they represent, even if it means causing physical/emotional harm. Since Brand and Hill both played supporting characters in FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL, they never had opportunities to take part in that film's more dramatic moments, but they do in GET HIM TO THE GREEK. I don't have much of a problem with that, but I must admit that it's a little awkward that the movie transitions from comedy to drama in a somewhat jarring way. FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL seamlessly balanced comedy with drama as a side dish, while GET HIM TO THE GREEK goes from balls-out comedy to surprisingly deep drama (neither is handled poorly - I'm simply saying that the transition was a bit unexpected). The scene in which the transition from comedy to drama starts to take place is probably the scene in the film towards which I have the most mixed feelings. It's a quasi "fight sequence" between four characters, two of whom have (of course) smoked a "Jeffrey" (which is WAY more intoxicating than a mere joint). The scene itself feels strange and disjointed, though I appreciate the fact that it's played to the tune of "Come on Eileen," and that a character later describes the scuffle as "Kubrickian," which it kind of was.

Audience members' enjoyment of the first half of GET HIM TO THE GREEK will, quite simply, depend on how funny they find a line like "Press 7 for fellatio," while their enjoyment of the second half will depend on whether or not they can appreciate the new, tragic spin that is given to the character of Aldous Snow during the climax of the film. I can't deny that it feels like GET HIM TO THE GREEK consists of two different movies that were attached to one another, but I also can't deny that I enjoyed both of them. In the midst of all the sequel/remake/reboot craze that currently afflicts Hollywood, here's a case in which it's actually worthwhile to meet up again with a character we've seen before. Can we please just ban the SEX AND THE CITY girls for good, and green-light more projects like this? I think ALDOUS SNOW: THE CONCERT MOVIE would have tons of potential.