June 21, 2010
Review: Get Him to the Greek
Why is Infant Sorrow So Much Better than the Real Thing??
You just can't argue with this.
The ads portrayed this movie as yet another in the Apatow-inpsired, guy-comedy juggernaut; but I think Get Him to the Greek is does something far more interesting than Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Writer/director Nicholas Stoller -- who must love rock 'n' roll -- has turned the character of Aldous Snow into an entertaining, but dark, homage to the rock-n-roll lifestyle, taking a few satirical swipes at the music industry in the process.
Many critics didn't seem to grok that. And having the charismatic Russell Brand (who was a self-destructive junkie) play Aldous Snow as a charismatic self-destructive junkie was, to use the movie's own lingo, a mind fuck. So think Velvet Goldmine meets Austin Powers, with maybe just a hint of Sid and Nancy throw in.
Here's the rub: Brand, a comedian by trade, is a more genuine rock star than most musicians today. He swaggers, he slithers, he makes ridiculous outfits work, he's prettier than most pop tarts on the market -- you absolutely can't not look at him. Add to this is pretentiously-named backup band, Infant Sorrow, made up of actual musicians (e.g. Pulp's Jarvis Cocker, Carl Barat of the Libertines), and a soundtrack that has actually entered the Billboard charts. "Gang of Lust" had me instantly rocking out to the chorus of "Let's get fucked/ let's get fucked/ let's get fucked/ up all over town." Greek's closing number, "Furry Walls," is a frighteningly convincing Oasis pastiche. It's like Spinal Tap, except more.
Basically, you'll enjoy this movie more if you think of it as rock-influenced entertainment than Apatow-inspired comedy. That said, the first five minutes contain some absolutely stellar sendups of rock divas and entertainment television, powered by Aldous Snow and his hilarious wife Jackie Q (Rose Byrne), and featuring actual stars such as Pink and Christina Aguilera. Other cameos -- including a very strange appearances by famous(?) economist Paul Krugman and Metallica's Lars Ulrich -- keep things lively throughout the movie.
Many of Greek's scenes trade on the comedy of discomfort, whether it's junior music exec Aaron (Jonah Hill) trying to impress his boss Sergio (Sean Combs), or the screwed up family dynamic between Aldous Snow and his father Jonathan (Colm Meaney). Combs goes balls to the wall with his crazy mogul, but doesn't quite have the comic chops to rival Brand's insanity. Hill does his best to bring some genuine emotion to his role, but he too fades into the background when Brand shows up. Basically, when Brand swaggers in, it seems the best dramatic choice is to stand back.
I'll give the writers kudos, they did try with the token female roles. They made Aaron's live-in girlfriend Daphne (Elizabeth Moss) a resident intern, so instead of being shrewish, she's just tired all the time. Also, Moss plays her with an irony that was mysteriously lost in the trailers. And in a twist (sort of) near the end, there's an obvious attempt to address the double standard of what constitutes cheating. (This, incidentally, is one of the plot's weakest points -- who hasn't seen Friends enough to know what being "on a break" means?).
Get Him to the Greek retains the escapist tendencies of its forbears, letting the protaganist indulge in sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll. And the movie's darker approach to rock life actually made the ending seem a little less than pat. Sure, Get Him to the Greek is uneven, but it had enough funny moments to keep it going, and as long as you can put up with a few moments of gratuitous gross-out comedy, Brand's performance is worth the price. And for those who didn't enjoy it: seriously, did you see Russell Brand??
