Review #110: 'Get Him to the Greek' (2010)

The comedy films of writer/producer/director Judd Apatow have somewhat dominated the last eight years or so. As well as being commercial hits, they have been lauded by critics for their sweet approach to comedy, blended with gross-out aspects and genuinely good scriptwriting. Apart from his best works - The 40-Year Old Virgin (2005), Superbad (2007), Knocked Up (2007) - his films can often be lazy, relying on quirky randomness to get through. The overrated Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004), which has somehow become a massive cult hit, was the biggest example of this, and although I could watch Will Ferrell all day, the film just felt like it was desperately trying to get through to the other side. Get Him To The Greek is another example of this.

Music producer Aaron Green (Jonah Hill) convinces his somewhat angry boss (Sean Combs) that an anniversary concert for failing rock star Aldous Snow (Russell Brand) is the way forward. Convinced, Green is sent to London to collect Snow and take him on a few promotional spots before arriving back in America for his concert. Snow would rather have endless parties, take lots of drugs, and sleep with lots of women - which is okay with Green, only he has an angry boss on his ass and a girlfriend (played by Mad Men's Elisabeth Moss) who he's not sure has broken up with him or not.

This is really a film of two halves. The first being genuinely funny - with Brand breathing likeability into his somewhat loathsome character, and the exchanges between Hill and Diddy being a particular highlight. This is coming from a person that hates Russell Brand. I mean I really, really hate him. But the charm that everyone else seems to see only becomes apparent to me when on the screen. Here he reprises his role from Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008), where I was surprised with his comic timing. When the second half comes around, I began hating him again.

The film simply runs out of ideas, throwing in a troubled father-son relationship between Brand and his Las Vegas-based father Jonathan Snow (Colm Meaney) that is of no interest. It also throws up one of the unfunniest scenes in the film, with Hill being smashed on a 'jeffrey' (a mix up of a variety of drugs smoked like a joint) and stroking a furry wall while Brand and Meaney fight. It resorts to scenes like this because it has no more jokes to tell, and combined with Aldous Snow's increasingly crap and unfunny array of songs, it all feels like it just wants to end.

Sadly, a more interesting sub-plot that reveals Snow's serious drug habit crops up then seemingly fades out without being properly explored. It could have added another dimension to Snow's character, and stopped him becoming a whiny and annoying protagonist. That said, the first half is funny enough to make it worth a watch, and Sean Combs near enough steals the entire film.


Directed by: Nicholas Stoller
Starring: Jonah Hill, Russell Brand, Rose Byrne, Sean Combs, Colm Meaney, Elisabeth Moss
Country: USA

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie

Review #52: 'I'm Still Here' (2010)

In 2009, the movie world was confused and in uproar as Joaquin Phoenix announced that he would be retiring from acting, and that 2008’s Two Lovers would be his final appearance on screen. To add a touch more of the bizarre into the mix, Phoenix would also be pursuing his apparent lifelong dream of being a rapper. His good friend and brother-in-law Casey Affleck would film everything, and as the pounds piled onto Phoenix, and his beard grew even more ridiculous, it gradually became obvious that this in fact was a big joke.

So the film itself follows Phoenix from his initial announcement of retirement from acting, to his attempts at getting a meeting with rap mogul P. Diddy, in order for him to produce his album. In between this, we see him self-destruct as the realisation hits him that he is indeed a crap rapper, and that everyone considers him a joke, from celebrities (Ben Stiller, David Letterman), to his best friend who ends up betraying him. We also see Phoenix sniffing cocaine from the breast of a stripper, fall of a stage whilst doing a rap gig, and have someone shit on his face while he sleeps.

The big question is - what’s the point? Well, it’s quite an intelligent commentary of the nature of celebrity, and how people can buy into anything that they’re told. Phoenix and Affleck apparently came up with the idea when they discovered that audiences didn’t realise that ‘reality’ shows were scripted. The other important question is – does it work? Given Phoenix’s heroic commitment to the film and the physical and mental strain he must have endured for the cause, you would hope so. Disappointingly, the answer is a resounding no.

Don’t get me wrong, moments of this film I found bordered on absolute genius. Joaquin Phoenix’s performance, for example, is simply breathtaking. You have to admire the way he completely gives himself over to the performance. Certain scenes where he is ranting about the way he is being perceived in the press, or he bounces around excitedly snorting cocaine awaiting for the arrival of prostitutes, you would be forgiven for not thinking twice that this was indeed reality.

But I think that is the main problem - it is too convincing. While other mockumentary’s such as This Is Spinal Tap (1984) or Borat (2006), are extremely funny while always maintaining the edge of realism, this film is not funny. This of course would be fine if the film was dramatic or absorbing, but it’s neither of these things. It is at times very annoying, and often quite uncomfortable viewing, and the film has trouble maintaining a straight narrative.

After thinking about the film afterwards, I can’t deny that its initial idea is interesting. Before the film, I could take or leave Joaquin Phoenix as an actor. He had never really overly impressed me with any of his performances, and I felt his most celebrated performance as Johnny Cash in Walk The Line (2005), was only a great impression, not a great performance. But after this film, I’ll be intrigued to see where his career turns to next, and I’ll probably watch anything he does. It is disappointing, if not unsurprising, that he was overlooked an Oscar nomination for his performance here.


Directed by: Casey Affleck
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Anthony Langdon, Sean Combs, Casey Affleck, Edward James Olmos
Country: USA

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie