Get Him to the Greek [MA]

When Aaron Green puts forward the idea to have British rock star Aldous Snow perform at the Greek Theatre to mark the 10^th anniversary of a great performance back in his glory days, he embarks on a trip that will change his life forever. All that’s expected of Aaron is to pick Aldous up and get him to the Greek Theatre. But this is going to prove so much easier said than done. 

I first went and saw this film with a colleague from work because we both have a bit of a thing for Russell Brand. It was a nice enough evening, but I was in two minds about whether or not I liked the film. It came into work yesterday and I watched it again last night to see if I could make a decision. I have come to the conclusion that it was worth watching, it definitely had its moments, but I’m not entirely convinced that it would hold a place in my collection. 

When British rock star Aldous Snow releases a song called “African Child”, his career and life takes a turn for the worst. When the song and video flops epically, his girlfriend Jackie Q takes custody of their son Naples and leaves Aldous to hit rock bottom, drinking and taking drugs excessively. Meanwhile in L.A, young music intern Aaron puts forward the idea of having Aldous perform at the Greek Theatre to mark the 10^th anniversary of a knock-out performance he did there in his glory days. When his idea is approved, the responsibility falls on Aaron to pick Aldous up and get him to the Greek Theatre. However, this proves to be easier said than done, as Aldous blatantly acts upon impulses causing them to miss a great number of flights to L.A. As one drunken crisis leads to another, Aaron soon sees the true Aldous Snow and has only two words to say: “fuck that!” 

From memory, Get Him to the Greek was predominantly sex, cursing, drugs, cursing, booze, cursing, suicide attempts, cursing, more sex, and cursing. The humour was pretty crude, but unfortunately this is the type of world we live in and it’s time to adapt. 

I think the best thing about this flick were the songs. I haven’t heard such brilliant (if slightly edgy) songs like that since This Is Spinal Tap. And when Russell performs them, it’s brilliant to behold. From “The Clap” to “Furry Walls”, every song was performed with swagger and conviction. 

As I mentioned there, Russell Brand plays Aldous Snow. I have to admit here that I do have a bit of a thing for Russell Brand. He’s different and a bit of a bad boy, I think that’s what every girl loves about him. In this film though, he would have been better in smaller doses. As much as I love Russell, it did get to a point in Get Him to the Greek where I was just thinking “go and lie down. Give us some peace.” He was stylish, egocentric, manic, impulsive, reckless, and occasionally sincere. He played the part really well, but unfortunately it was a part that you could tire of quite quickly. 

At this point, I do need to draw attention to the awesome costumes that featured in the film. Some of the outfits that Russell wears are freaking HOT, not to mention the tremendous costumes that Rose Byrne gets to wear playing Jackie Q. It’s glam rock meets vaudeville seedy streets theatre. I loved it! 

Starring Jonas Hill, Sean Combs, Elisabeth Moss, Rose Byrne, and a whole heap of musician and actor cameos including Tom Felton, Get Him to the Greek was a crude, but entertaining film filled with cursing, booze, drugs, blood, vomit, broken bones, hallucinations, and a happy friendship-themed ending. Well worth watching at any rate.