Intern Escorts Rock Star in Intercontinental Road Romp
Slacker Aaron Green (Jonah Hill) is interning in Los Angeles at Pinnacle Records, a once-formidable company now struggling to stay afloat in an industry with bleak prospects. The underachiever’s relationship with his M.D. girlfriend, Daphne (Elisabeth Moss), is severely strained, because they barely spend any quality time together, given their different schedules and the long hours she has to put in at the hospital. She’s generally coming home just as he’s headed out the door each morning; consequently, they rarely even make love anymore.
The standoff builds to boil the day Daphne’s offered a medical residency in Seattle, and asks Aaron to relocate there with her. Although it’s hard for him to make much of a case for remaining in L.A., he refuses to abandon hope that his fledgling job might blossom into a more substantial position. So, she threatens to break up with him.
But Aaron has some good news of his own to share. Earlier that same day his distraught boss, Sergio (P. Diddy), had assembled all his employees to announce that “The bubble done popped!” After moaning about whether he’s going to be able to afford Air Jordan sneakers for his half-dozen children, the desperate exec asked for new ideas during an impromptu brainstorming session.
Aaron informs Daphne that he’s finally getting his big break since Sergio likes his proposal to try to resuscitate the career of his childhood idol, Aldous Snow (Russell Brand), the front man for a defunct British rock group called Infant Sorrow. The trouble is that Aldous has spiraled down a self-destructive path since the disastrous release a decade ago of “African Child,” a song which was roundly panned as racist by the critics and rejected by his fans.
Sergio agreed that it’s time for a revival, so he signs the band to do a reunion concert at the Greek Theater. The hitch is that Aaron, with promise of a promotion if everything goes smoothly, has to fly to England to escort the boozing, pot-smoking womanizer from London to L.A.
Aaron jumps at the opportunity, but the question soon becomes, who will win the ensuing battle of wills? The spoiled-rotten star used to doing whatever he pleases, or the suddenly-single, aspiring publicist who finds himself seduced by all the trappings of the rock and roll lifestyle? And, if Aaron strays, will Daphne want him back after a week of debauchery.
This is the testosterone-fueled premise of Get Him to the Greek, a fitting spinoff of Forgetting Sarah Marshall, also directed by Nicholas Stoller. To the degree you can stomach scenes of utter depravity, are you apt to find this raunchy road flick compelling.
Think shocksploit, one rendered hilarious as opposed to offensive by the equally-inspired performances of its three male leads, Russell Brand, Jonah Hill and P. Diddy. Plenty of laughs per-minute featuring the outrageous antics of naughty Aldous repeatedly derailing Aaron’s best efforts to deliver him as promised, all to the frustration of an increasingly-impatient Sergio.
You’ll O.D. on laughter!
Excellent (3.5 stars)
Rated R for graphic sexuality, pervasive profanity and drug use.
Running time: 109 minutes
Studio: Universal Pictures
