MOVIE REVIEW … GET HIM TO THE GREEK

MOVIE REVIEW …

GET HIM TO THE GREEK

A famous rock and roll story involves the group Van Halen.  In its desire to ensure a venue’s adherence to their requests, they asked a bowl of M & M’s be available with the brown ones taken out.  According to their logic the venue which didn’t remove them left suspicions on what other more important details may have been overlooked.  This tale of musical folklore is one the leading rock-star character in Get Him To The Greek would likely make with his demands showing how spirited rock and roll life can be.

 Aaron Green (Jonah Hill) is an unappreciated underling working at Pinnacle Records.  After a session, boss Sergio (Sean Combs) asks for money-making ideas and he hatches a plan which would elevate his professional standing.  A comeback concert at the Greek Theatre by notorious British singer Aldous Snow (Russell Brand) would be a hit. Aaron is sent to drag the recalcitrant rocker to L.A.  This is easier said than done as he becomes caught in Aldous’ debauched existence proving once and for all his reputation as the ultimate rock and roll rat-bag.

 Get Him to the Greek is a very strange beast.  At once a wickedly amusing satire on music industry excess, it morphs into a drama relating to the consequences of this over-indulgence.  It’s as if the writers felt the script wasn’t strong enough to warrant constant laughs and so decided to graft some familial crisis into the mix.  Unfortunately this has the effect of blunting the punch-lines after comedy sequences are built up.  This creates a flat atmosphere where there should be one of continual anarchy.  This is disappointing as its' genuinely funny moments aren’t fully embraced by the disjointed screenplay.

The characters are all disturbingly believable.  Aaron’s ‘yes man’ to Snow’s over-blown egotist provides the most laughs despite Brand appearing curiously subdued.  He may have been told to tone down his persona or over-emphasise the material’s dramatic aspects. One would have expected him to display more energy.  He works well with Hill forming a good double act.  Especially enjoyable is Sean ‘Puff Daddy’ Combs who seems to have the most fun in portraying the oily record honcho desperate for a dollar. 

 Get Him to the Greek wallows a little too much in its self-indulgence to fully work.  The potential’s there for a fantastic comedy but the addition of more dramatic elements in order to make it more ‘worthy’ drags it down.  Maybe a film about Van Halen’s exploits would be have been infinitely more interesting as their unusual requests seem more outlandish than this occasionally funny but uneven effort.

Movie Review Rating 5 / 10

Movie Review by Patrick Moore

Get Him to the Greek released in Australia on Thursday 17 June 2010.

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