Get Him To The Greek

I learned something tonight. I'm not really into comedies that try and "say something". You know what I mean? The last thing I want is to go to a movie where I intend to laugh and get preached at. Like pretty much every movie Adam Sandler did after The Waterboy. I'm not saying that Get Him To The Greek was like that though. Because it wasn't really. Just thought I'd throw that little tidbit out there.

The trailer for this movie is what really roped me in. Jonah Hill, looking fatter than ever, and Russell Brand, looking more deprived than ever, running around and drinking absinthe. That was pretty much enough for me. And if you don't know about absinthe, check out the story told by L. Gabrielle Penebaz on The Moth Podcast. But anyways, Hill, Superbad, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, plays some sort of low-level record company executive for Pinnacle Records, a fictional record company owned by Sean "Diddy, Puff Daddy, P Diddy, Puffy, Indecisive on What Nickname is Appropriate" Combs. He comes up with the idea to have Aldous Snow, a crazy, drug-addict rock star play a 10th anniversary concert at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. Sean "Diddy, Puff Daddy, P Diddy, Puffy, Indecisive on What Nickname is Appropriate" Combs, then decides that it will be Hill who is to bring him from London to LA, via Manhattan for an appearance on the Today Show. Hijinks ensue. But the problem is I now judge all drunken hijinks on a scale from any of the really bad National Lampoon's movies made in the 90s to The Hangover. And just nothing will match up with The Hangover. At least in my mind. And it didn't help that both Brand and Hill can get a little annoying after awhile. They both serve better as ancillary characters in a bigger narrative, instead of as leads.

The plot was also flawed. Inasmuch as there wasn't much of one to speak of. The basic premise was great. Mild mannered guy has to get an insane rock star halfway across the world in 3 days. They just couldn't come up with any really hilarious things for them to do slash have happen to them along the way. Which troubles me. I mean, how hard is that really? I wouldn't have even cared if they stole plot points from any number of comedies about traveling from Point A to Point B.

There were some bright points though. Sean "Diddy, Puff Daddy, P Diddy, Puffy, Indecisive on What Nickname is Appropriate" Combs was actually really funny. And Russell Brand's ex-girlfriend, played by Rose Byrne whom I know primarily from her role in the FX show Damages, is funny, if not a little disconcerting. Damages has been one of my favorite shows for the past couple years, and I highly recommend it. And furthermore, everything that FX does is just really good. The Sheild, Rescue Me, 30 Days, The Riches, Damages, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Archer, The League. All are great programs for completely different reasons. FX gives HBO a run for it's money in terms of original programming, and it's a standard cable channel that doesn't cost extra.

You know, I'd see this one again. Not in the theater because movie tickets are just too damn expensive. But I'll probably end up watching it in the fall with some guys who didn't see it in theaters. I was disappointed by the complete lack of plot, but I did laugh a lot. And that's what comedy is all about Charlie Brown.