Review of Get Him to the Greek (2010) by Jim A — 22 Jul 2013

"Doesn't it make sense that we would stay here and have possibly the time of your life?".

When I first saw "Forgetting Sarah Marshall", I liked it, but had a number of problems with it. First of all, the movie opens with Jason Segal lumbering around his apartment, and then burst into a series of news montages, and I couldn't help but think "why didn't the movie start with the news montages?" Also, Russel Brand's "Aldous Snow", while the comic relief of a dramedy, is seven years sober. No offense to you sober people, but how funny can a rockstar be while sober? Okay, I admit he was funny in this, but could have been much, much funnier. And lastly, Jonah Hill's casting was completely wasted.

So, the semi-sequel "Get Him to the Greek" comes along, and I avoided it at first, because I only half-liked FSM.

When I finally got to see GHTTG, I realized it was a complete fix for FSM. First, the movie opens with the news montage (a much, much funnier one, btw). Second, Aldous Snow falls of the wagon within five minutes of the movie playing, thanks to this girlfriend Jackie Q (Rose Byrne). And lastly, Jonah Hill is recast as the main character.

Not unlike "My favorite Year", GHTTG is the story of an executive trying to get an out-of-control rockstar from his flat in London to a concert venue in the US. The movie is loaded with drunken anarchy from start to finish, including delaying international flights, sleeping with random women, an absinthe binge, improvised rock concerts, sneaking drugs onto a plane via anus, a great encounter with Tom Felton, a fantastic use of "Come on Eileen", threesomes, and quite an emotional finale.

A superior sequel, and a great comedy, Get Him to the Greek is one of my favorite party movies.