Get Him to the Greek

Get Him to the Greek
2010
Directed by: Nicholas Stoller
Starring: Jonah Hill, Russel Brand

There's something appealing about Jonah Hill and Russel Brand coming together for 2 hours of mayhem and misunderstanding. Predictability led the way in this "spin-off" of Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Now at first I didn't like FSM, but after watching it a second time, I grew to like it. I do not feel I would have the same reaction if I saw this again. Did I laugh? Yes. Did I care about the characters? No. I had no care about anything going on except getting to the next joke.

Jonah Hill plays a record producer trying to make his way to the top. P Diddy (or whatever the hell he goes by now) is his fast talking, Ari Gold-like boss. Diddy tells Hill to go to London to retrieve Brand for an anniversary concert in LA in 72 hours. Of course Brand, being a washed-up rock star, does not go so fast. He is not reluctant, but he has a mentality that coursing through life will bring him happiness.

Russel Brand plays the predictable, lovable rocker. Jonah Hill plays the predictable, fat boy fan. The jokes are very few and far between. I laughed at a few parts, but honestly it felt like they were trying too hard. For the most part, I am a fan of this genre. The quick-talking, hilarity ensuing, slightly dramatic pursuits. But it seems that the heart was brought in too much on this one. This was the same for Funny People. Hill and Brand played colorless characters that you never really seem to care about.

There is a side story of Hill's girlfriend issues, which again, I didn't care for. The lack of humor and the strong presence of trying to make this about how we need to coddle rock stars really brought the wrong type of movie to the screen. I felt like I was watching a sequel to Dude, Where's My Car, except Ashton Kutcher is funnier. I enjoy the heart aspect sometimes, but I felt that it was a little overplayed. The best part was a specific scene in a Las Vegas hotel room. But only that scene had a few funny parts.

Trying too hard is not the way to make a movie. A hilarious movie (The Hangover, for example) seemed effortless. Hilarity and a fun story to follow should be the components of this kind of comedy. I'm not sure what the writers were trying to do with this movie. Maybe they were trying to make it heartfelt. Maybe they were trying to make it a run-around comedy with few jokes and even fewer high points. I felt as if most people in the theater were only laughing because of the actors on the screen and not because of things they were doing or saying. People feel inclined to laugh when they see someone who is known to be funny. This movie did not make Jonah Hill or Russel Brand any funnier.

Stars (out of 4): * 1/2