You could say that the opening scene of Nicholas Stoller's "Get Him to the Greek" the most recent installment produced by the Judd Apatow comedic enterprise sets the tone for the entire movie: The narcissistic yet talented Aldous Snow (Russell Brand) is an aging rock-star who walks through an African guerilla gunfight in his music video for "African Child," a song through which he frames himself as an "African White Christ from space." Stoller employs this sort of satirical self-awareness throughout the film to both pay homage to and mock the music industry.
This paradigm is reinforced by various characters in the movie from Snow's equally immature and self-absorbed father (Colm Meaney) to Sergio Roma (played to perfection by Sean Diddy' Combs), a hilariously over-the-top, yet realistic, music mogul. Combs should seriously consider acting in future projects even if he was just playing a variation of his real-life self in "Greek," his sense of comedic timing and nuance is impeccable.
The movie follows a pretty simple narrative: Aaron Green is a young, low-level music executive played by Jonah Hill, an Apatow regular who, once again, has put the cool in fat, curly-haired Jew. Green is sent by his boss, Roma, to ensure that the tirelessly debaucherous, out-of-control and substance-addicted Snow makes it on time (and alive) to a concert at The Today Show in New York and then to his sold-out reunion show at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles.
The plot of "Greek" is thin, but the movie does not require much depth beyond what is necessary for the laughs and pop-culture commentary sprinkled throughout.
Like others in the Apatow family of New-Age comedy, "Greek" blends real human and sociocultural truths with hilarity that will be repeated, referenced and imitated for years to come. Take for example "The Jeffrey," a medley of physical and mind-altering substances which plays a key role in the film and joins the likes of "Gaylord Focker" and "We're going streaking!" in the pantheon of movie jokes that have gone viral shortly after their respective movies were released.
Beyond the laugh-out-loud comedy lies an interesting and often-overlooked glimpse into celebrity culture. The film examines both the perspective of the celebrities themselves and of the producers who control them. The producers are shown to paradoxically dictate the actions of celebrities and live subject to the artists' every whim, even to the extent that "if [the celebrity] tells you to stick the drugs in your ass, you stick them in your ass." What both sides have in common, however, are the occupational conflicts with respect to one's integrity and ethical compass.
For these sentiments, and the multitude of other jokes that you haven't yet heard, "Greek" is certainly worth a watch.
