Get Me to Get Him to the Greek...

Last night I had the pleasure of venturing to the cinema to see the latest offering from the Judd Apatow stable 'Get Him to the Greek'. Referring to GHTTG as a 'spin-off' from Forgetting Sarah Marshall doesn't really do the film justice and despite the excellent Russell Brand reprising his role as rocker Aldous Snow from the 2008 comedy, this is very much a self-sufficient piece of which Brand is undoubtedly the star. Alongside the hirsuite comedian, is frequent Apatow colllaborator Jonah Hill as Aaron Green, a talent scout for Pinnacle Records run by Sergio Roma (Sean 'Diddy' Combs... think that's the most up to date one, who knows it might have changed to 'The Artist Formerly Known as Diddy' by the time you read this).

I should point out before we go any further that I've been an enormous fan of Brand since his 6Music days with Matt Morgan and Trevor Lock and that this review will perhaps be coloured by that.

We begin with Snow (aided by his girlfriend Jackie Q ((Rose Byrne))) preparing to release 'African Child', an ambitious (if misguided and self-indulgent) album dealing with the problems facing the African continent. For the fans of Snow's band Infant Sorrow and indeed for all and sundry, African Child proves to be the straw that broke the camel's back (or should I say, in that case, 'The Single Factor'. Right, prog fans?). Labelled 'the worst thing to happen to Africa since Apartheid' African Child effectively kills Snow's career and relationship with Jackie, sending him spiralling back into a life of drug-fuelled hedonism.

With the 10th anniversary of Snow's legendary concert at the Greek Theater in LA looming large, Green begs his boss Sergio to let him stage a concert at that same venue, jump-starting the flagging career of Snow who hasn't performed live for 3 years. Roma eventually agrees and orders Aaron to London, but not before his relationship with his live-in girlfriend Daphne, an intern on unthinkable hours, effectively falls apart over an argument about moving to Seattle. Left little time to wallow, Green hops on a plane to London in attempt to get hard-partying Snow to New York for The Today Show and ultimately to the titular Greek Theater in LA. Cue a race against time filled with sex, drugs, rock and roll and hilarity.

At heart, Get Him to the Greek is a buddy movie. Hill and Brand enjoy magnificent on-screen chemistry. I've seen reviews criticise the film for being overly referential, but I, a big fan of cheeky pop culture references it has to be said, found the script (although it would seem that large chunks of dialogue were improvised) to be strong. The film crashed through the 7 laugh test with consumate ease (admittedly I laughed more than several others in the cinema, but then that's their fault for not getting the jokes... ahem... I imagine I'm a nightmare to go to the cinema with; I laugh like a Hyena watching Jonny Sweet live) and kept on giving. Brand is magnificently willowly like a hairy Jagger and more believable as a rock star than many an actual musician. Hill gives a very solid performance, showcasing his more sensitive dynamics and proving that he can carry a film instead of being a Apatow bit-part player. But perhaps the breakout comic performance is from the Diddy man. Aided by some fantastic lines, Combs gives a truly laugh-out-loud turn as media mogul Sergio. Other ones to watch out for are Rose Byrne, who gives a wonderfully self-aware, vacuous performance as Snow's estranged partner, Colm Meaney as Snow's philandering father, Elisabeth Moss as Green's overworked girlfriend Daphne and an inspired cameo by Lars Ulrich (who is on the receiving end of one of the best lines in the film, but I shan't ruin it for you).

Speaking of Colm Meaney, Snow's relationship with his father is not dissimilar to that of Brand and his own father. A good deal of credence is lent to Aldous Snow by virtue of the fact that Brand has been there, taken that, done that and got the t-shirt. The rather humorous rockstar excesses showcased in the film are performed by a voice of experience, but by a voice that has been through it and come out the other side, which brings me on to another, rather interesting point.

Despite it being a raucous comedy, GHTTG has a rather melancholic and serious undercurrent that I find comparable to The Wrestler. Now, I imagine that one wouldn't glean such a link from the trailer or the bumph, but like Mickey Rourke's Randy 'the Ram' Robinson, Aldous Snow is a lonely, broken man who's last refuge is the simple adoration of his fans. Much like The Ram, Snow has ruined his relationships with friends, lovers and family, he's abused his own body to the extreme and has found only emptiness, but if he can't fill the void within himself and provide his own mind with satisfaction, he can at least spread joy to others. As we reached the denouement I did well up a little (because I'm pathetic like that when it comes to films) and for all the laughs (of which there are many during the course of the adventure) there is a rather beautiful ideal resting just below the surface.

For me, this is the funniest comedy of the year so far but far more than that it becomes a rather poignant tale of redemption with (and call me a sentimental old fool) a hugely satisfying resolution and is most definitely on the coveted Or So I Thought... 'Must-See' list. Blackly comic at times and featuring some hilarious comic set pieces, brilliant performances and a marvellous parody soundtrack penned by rock and Britpop luminaries including Caral Barat and Jarvis Cocker, Get Him to the Greek is certainly up there with the very best Apatow comedies. That said, even if it was just Russell Brand improvising on his own for 109 minutes I would still have loved it.