Get Him to the Greek (2010) ***

Written by: Nicholas Stoller and Jason Segel

Produced by: Judd Apatow, David L. Bushell and Rodney Rothman

Directed by: Nicholas Stoller

Rated R for strong sexual content and drug use throughout, and pervasive language

109 mins.

U.S. Release Date: June 4, 2010

The comedy trifecta of Segel, Stoller and Apatow (that sounds like a prestigious law firm) is back together, and this time they’ve made a follow-up to the successful film “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” from 2008.  “Get Him to the Greek” serves as a spin-off story spotlighting British rock legend Aldous Snow (Russell Brand) as he attempts to regain supremacy atop the rock world after a long string of drug-addled bad decisions.  The filmmakers struck gold with the first film, but is the second go-around worth the trip?

Though Jonah Hill plays Matt the Waiter in “Marshall”, we are introduced to Hill as Aaron Green in this film.  Green is a lowly intern at a major record label in Los Angeles.  While in a staff meeting with his boss Sergio Roma (played exquisitely by Sean “P. Diddy” Combs), the staffers aim to bring in new revenue streams for the label.  Being a massive Aldous Snow fan, Aaron suggests a television concert event for Snow at L.A.’s Greek Theatre.  After some deliberation, Sergio green-lights the show and puts his bright-eyed intern on a mission: to escort Snow from London to New York to Los Angeles on a whirlwind tour to reignite his career.

While his dream-mission seems easy enough, Green receives some very stern warnings from his boss: don’t turn your back on Snow for one second.  Having just broken up with his long-time girlfriend Jackie Q (Rose Byrne), Aldous is on a sex, drugs and booze bender that would kill most people.  Now heavily drugged and weary of yes men and piles of money, the rocker is searching for the meaning of life.  When he learns that Jackie Q is in California and dating Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich (played by Ulrich himself), Aldous makes it his quest to win her back before his upcoming world tour.

As the countdown to the concert begins, Aaron must navigate through London drug smuggles, New York City talk-shows and Vegas hijinks to complete his mission safe and, sort of, sound.  He has to coax, lie to, enable and party with Aldous on the way to the Greek.

Personally, I found great enjoyment in “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”, but this type of film doesn’t strike me as the kind to lend itself to a spin-off.  However, “Greek” is just the right distance from it’s source material to be successful as a stand-alone.  With the same writing and production team in place, the script is dead-on for the genre.  The jokes are non-stop throughout the film and Jonah Hill and Russell Brand are the perfect choices to deliver the material.

As far as execution, the acting ensemble really couldn’t have been better.  From Hill and Brand in the lead roles to smaller but memorable roles played by Combs and Colm Meaney, pretty much the entire cast worked in concert to produce a relentless comedy.

Based on the trailers, you definitely know what you’re in for when you go see “Get Him to the Greek”.  It’s a raunchy, dumb, and simply-plotted adventure-comedy.  Having said that, the entertainment level far surpassed my expectations going into the theater.  The laughs are non-stop, the performances are a ton of fun, and there are plenty of quotables to extract for the nights you’re out too late with friends.  If you’re not easily offended, and you enjoyed “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”, then make sure you see “Get Him to the Greek” in theaters.