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Last summer, the wild-and-crazy Vegas bachelor party comedy, The Hangover, stormed theaters in a booze-fueled frenzy of strippers and jungle cats. No one really expected it to be a huge box office hit, but audiences loved its random insanity—and they just kept going back for more. Get Him to the Greek, then, is this summer’s answer to The Hangover—another outrageous blend of sex, drugs, rock ‘n’ roll…and vomit.
In this Forgetting Sarah Marshall spin-off, Jonah Hill (who, incidentally, played a completely different character in Sarah Marshall) plays Aaron Green, a record company lackey who’s desperate for a chance to prove himself to his boss, Sergio (Sean Combs). To help revive the company, Aaron suggests getting troubled rocker Aldous Snow (Russell Brand) to play a 10th-anniversary concert at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles. When Aldous agrees to do the show, Sergio puts Aaron in charge of wrangling the star and transporting him from his home in London to a Today Show appearance in New York and finally on to the Greek—in just a few days’ time.
Once Aaron meets his rock idol, though, he realizes that it’s not going to be an easy task—because Aldous is spoiled and delusional and completely out of control.
With hit-or-miss character actors like Brand and Hill taking center stage (and Judd Apatow in the producer’s seat), Get Him to the Greek could have been an awkward and overlong comedy—with just a few amusing moments. Instead, it’s a rowdy, road-trippy romp, complete with random side adventures, quirky cameos, and plenty of not-so-subtle innuendo.
Though I expected to tire of both Brand and Hill by about the halfway mark, both are surprisingly entertaining—Brand as the unhinged celebrity and Hill as the flustered straight man who’s just trying to do his job (albeit unsuccessfully). But although the two comics may have gotten the lead roles, Combs rules the movie—getting the funniest lines and the most enthusiastic laughs (think Tom Cruise in Tropic Thunder).
The storytelling, on the other hand, is rather uneven, often trying to balance outrageous club scenes with the lead characters’ attempts to deal with personal issues—from Snow’s fading career and his pining for his ex, Jackie Q (Rose Byrne), to Aaron’s break-up with his long-time girlfriend, Daphne (Elizabeth Moss). Granted, the story is pretty thin without those heavy personal issues, but they feel completely out of place—and they have a tendency to make an otherwise enjoyably over-the-top comedy feel a little too much like an uncomfortable episode of Dr. Phil.
Despite unbalanced storytelling—and an especially rough conclusion—though, Get Him to the Greek is still an entertaining outrageous comedy. It’s random and crazy and crudely irreverent, but it also delivers plenty of brainless laughs.
Blu-ray Review:
Comedy Blu-ray releases aren’t usually loaded with special features. There’s probably a gag reel, maybe a short behind-the-scenes feature, sometimes an audio commentary track. But the two-disc Blu-ray release of Get Him to the Greek is so loaded with features that, in the time it takes to watch all of them, you could probably pick up your very own troubled rock star in London and fly him all the way to LA for his big reunion concert.
The main disc includes both the theatrical and extended versions of the film, along with a commentary track, five music videos, links to each concert performance, and 15 karaoke-ready videos. The disc also features three additional documentaries. Getting in Tune with the Greek is a 14-minute feature exploring the film’s songs, from writing the music and lyrics to recording sessions, videos, and concert footage. The Making of African Child is a mockumentary, following Aldous and his crew as they make the controversial video. Though clips were included in the final film, this feature includes more footage and more interviews. And, finally, Getting to Get Him to the Greek is a half-hour making-of feature, covering everything from casting to the grueling week of filming in Las Vegas to the concert at the Greek. Though it’s longer than the usual making-of feature, it’s also more entertaining—and it’s definitely worth your time.
The set also comes with an additional DVD, which is loaded with even more features, including a massive two-part gag reel (which includes some great footage of Diddy trying not to curse), an over-the-top alternate opening scene (featuring a disastrous party at Aldous and Jackie’s lavish castle), an awkward alternate ending, 17 deleted scenes, 22 alternate/extended scenes, and a whole lot more. There are silly, melodramatic clips from Sarah Marshall’s new show, Blind Medicine, audition clips featuring several cast members, and additional interview footage with Aldous (who’s at his best in his interview with the women of The View).
Of course, most of the extras in this set aren’t necessary for casual viewers, but if you absolutely love the movie and its cast, you’ll want to check out at least some of the special features. I recommend starting with the interview with The View and the making-of feature and going from there.
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