Get Him To The Greek...

In a typical year, I like to see an average of one movie a month. I feel like that keeps me current with popular culture, and it usually positions me well come Oscar season, considering the movies to which I am usually drawn. However, it is only the first weekend of June, and I found myself hitting the theater for my eleventh movie of 2010. I think that the single greatest contributing factor in this doubling of my theater attendance has been my entree into the world of dating; after all, the "dinner and a movie" formula is more or less the cornerstone of the contemporary dating scene. Furthermore, the need to consider the tastes and opinions of a romantic partner has led me to see a wider range of films (comedies, by and large), that I would have otherwise overlooked during my single days of movie watching. Most recently, it was Date Night, and this weekend, it was Get Him To The Greek.

Although I have studiously avoided every film in the Judd Apatow oeuvre since I was forced to watch Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy while trapped in a van during a school trip in South Dakota, I did actually want to see Get Him To The Greek, largely do to my appreciation of Russell Brand. I wouldn't go so far as to say I find him attractive, but ever since I caught his stand-up special, Russell Brand in New York early last year, I have been intrigued by his wicked sense of humor. I'm not sure he'll ever be as big in the United States as he his in his native United Kingdom, although his recent engagement to singer Katy Perry has certainly helped increase his notoriety on this side of the pond.

Hence, I even went so far as to suggest Get Him To The Greek as a movie choice, knowing that Zac enjoys comedies more than I do. And even though it's not my favorite genre, I still found much diversion in Get Him To The Greek. In fact, I might even go so far as to call it riotously funny. Brand, as ever, was sharp and edgy, although there were moments where his character called for a level of restraint that I felt under-utilized his natural frenetic energy. I also enjoyed the performance of Elisabeth Moss (aka Peggy Olson from one of my favorite shows, Mad Men), who added a touch of believable levity to the zaniness surrounding her character. Sean "Diddy" Combs (Is that what he's going by these days? Who can keep track? I'm deferring to Wikipedia here) didn't have to stretch far to portray an aggressive, slightly unhinged music executive, but he actually got some of the more choice lines in the film, such as a text message that read, "Where the fuck are you? I'm going to kill you! :)" Jonah Hill, who portrayed the main character, delievered one of the more lackluster performances in the fim, in my opinion, but then again, I've never been much of a fan of his work.

As one might expect, Get Him To The Greek was spectacularly raunchy. That's not generally my favorite type of humor, but perhaps the movie caught me in just the right mood, because this time, it worked for me. From the overt innuendos of the various musicians' fake songs and music videos to the over-the-top groupie sex scenes, I could scarcely stop laughing. If you're seeking some comic relief and adult humor this summer, I think you could do much worse than Get Him To The Greek, to be sure.