DVD Reviews

Get Him to the Greek - Blu-ray Review

By Jeff Swindoll Sep 29, 2010, 19:03 GMT

Aaron Green (Jonah Hill) is an ambitious 24-year-old who has been given a career-making assignment. His mission: Fly to London and escort a rock god to L.A.\'s world famous Greek Theatre for the first-stop on a huge comeback tour. British rocker Aldous Snow (Russell Brand) is a brilliant musician, but due to a bad break up and nose-diving career, has fallen off the wagon and is now a drunken disaster. ...more

“It's Kubrickian!”

One of the breakout characters of Forgetting Sarah Marshall was rocker Aldous Snow as portrayed with boozy bravado by Russell Brand.  This time around Snow is given his own film and the newly off the wagon rocker has to get to his comeback concert thanks to the neurotic herding of Jonah Hill.

Aldous Snow’s (Russell Brand) career has taken a beating.  His latest tune “African Child” is awful and is third on the list, behind war and apartheid, of horrible things that have happened to the African continent. 

Jackie Q (Rose Byrne), his longtime girlfriend, has left the sober Snow and taken custody of their son causing him to fall off the wagon.  Meanwhile in Los Angeles, Pinnacle Records executive Sergio Roma (Sean Combs) wants a game changing, moneymaking idea. 

Nebbish intern Aaron Green (Jonah Hill) comes up with the idea that Aldous Snow, his favorite rocker, should recreate his seminal 1999 concert at the Greek Theater.  The record company could sell pay-per-view, cable shows, release the live recording, and generally make a bundle off of merchandising and other ways. 

Sergio seemingly reacts with dismissal of the idea and Aaron returns deflated to his live-in girlfriend Daphne (Elisabeth Moss).  She’s an emergency room intern and works crazy hours so they barely see each other. 

A month later, Sergio tells Aaron that Greek concert is happening and he’s to go to London and shepherd the boozy Snow back to the states and make sure he makes it to the Greek on time.  Aaron tries to share his happy news with Daphne but she has news of her own.  They’re moving to Seattle to accept a job offer. 

Aaron says that she’s not considering his thoughts in the matter and effectively breaks up with her.  In London, he discovers that handling Snow is going to be more of a challenge than he ever thought it would be. 
One of the standout characters of Forgetting Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell has a cameo in that role in Greek) was the rocker Aldous Snow played with cheeky charisma by Russell Brand. 

Greek is not really a sequel to Sarah Marshall, but the further adventures of the other movie’s funniest character.  I’d also wink and tell you that Greek may also be an official redo of the classic My Favorite Year in which a neurotic milquetoast (Mark Linn-Baker) has to keep a has-been movie star Alan Swann (Peter O’Toole) sober for his live television appearance in the 1950s. 

Greek takes that basic plotline, adds rock-n-roll, gross-out comedy, and basically updates the premise with narcotics and pop culture.  The two films also share other similarities – hilarity and charismatic acting. 

Russell Brand was a favorite in Forgetting Sarah Marshall and it was probably the resemblance to O’Toole’s boozy, charming Swann that drew me towards him (Brand is also to booze it up in a remake of Arthur in the role that Dudley Moore is most remembered for) so I find it ironic that Greek reminded me of My Favorite Year. 

Jonah Hill has a charm as well in another neurotic, everyman performance.  The duo find themselves in many comic situations as Snow demands drugs and side trips, a memorable one to Vegas to visit Snow’s shifty father (Colm Meaney), that keep messing up Aaron’s schedule. 

The secondary character that lights up the screen this time is Sean Combs’ “mind-f*cking,” maniacal record executive.  If the laughs aren’t coming from Hill and Brand, they’re coming from Combs.  You’re in for a hilarious time. 

Get Him to the Greek is presented in a 1080p high definition transfer (1.85:1).  Disc one is a Blu-ray (aka high definition) that features two cuts of the film, the theatrical cut (109 minutes) and an unrated cut (114 minutes, located under special features).  Special features start off with a raucous commentary with director Nicholas Stoller, producer Rodney Rothman, Russell Brand, Rose Byrne, Jonah Hill, and Elisabeth Moss. 

Next are three documentaries: the 32 minute making of “Getting to Get Him to the Greek,” the 13 minute “Getting in Tune with the Greek” focusing on the music, and the 6 minute “Making of African Child” an in-character documentary about the hilariously vile music video.  The music section offers music videos (over 50 minutes worth) of the songs from the film as well as a Karaoke section that lets you sing along.  The disc is also Pocket Blu enhanced and BD-Live enhanced. 

The BD-Live also offers, for a limited time, the ability to stream a trio of comedies, Uncle Buck, Life, or Dazed and Confused.  Disc two is a digital copy, but also a DVD (aka standard definition) with more bonus features. 

That includes a 10 minute gag reel, the 9 minute “Line-o-rama” featuring alternate lines, 18 minutes of deleted scenes, a 6 minute alternate opening, a 3 minute alternate ending, 35 minutes of extended or alternate scenes, a 2 minute peek at the Sarah Marshall sitcom “Blind Medicine,” 18 minutes of interviews, and 18 minutes of auditions. 

Get Him to the Greek expands one of the best things about Forgetting Sarah Marshall and gives Aldous Snow a further chance to keep you in stitches.  It’s a grand trip to get to the theater but also offers up some great rock music when you get there.  It’s a trip worth taking. 

Visit the DVD database for more information.