When I saw the trailers for Greek, they looked moderately funny. I hadn't seen Sarah Marshal, so I had no idea what that was all about. But, reviews were good and I thought, hey, what the heck. What I found was a very funny Apatow-filmish take on the rock n roll film. All the elements of a usual Apatow troop film are there: focus on unusual moments, sex drugs and gross out humor, friendship and some serious moments, and the breaking down of typical film trappings. Suffice to say, this is a great summer comedy.
The film, as many know, charges Allen Green with getting washed up rock star Aldous Snow to the Greek Theater in LA for a 10th anniversary concert. As one would guess, things don't go accordingly, and a whole lot of comedy ensues. The film, more than anything, is essentially a rock pic. It's about the life of this rock star who has burned out his bulb and is attempting to put in a new one. And as Aldous Snow, Russel Brand is fantastic. He truly embodies this rock star and you feel he really IS this character. He boozes it up, drugs it up, sexes it up, and whatever other manner of things a rock star might abuse. He's a mess of a guy, and like so many famous people who have gone south, he's a complicated person who has let fame get the best of him. This is translated extremely well. Despite all the comedy, this is an excellent rock and roll biopic type film. Jonah Hill is great as the lead character with baggage of his own and he does what he does best here, although he plays a more awkward kind of character versus his geek-in- charge style that we're so accustomed too.
Stealing the show, however, is Sean Combs, who plays Green's boss Sergio. Every scene he is in is hilarious and he is surprisingly funny. It was definitely pleasant to see him pull off such a funny role. The other supporting characters are great, doing a fine job of being very funny themselves. Most of the film falls into stages of comedy bits, and all are pretty damned hilarious. There's nothing here that's too ridiculous, which is nice. There is once scene that kind of makes you raise a brow, but it's just so damn funny, you forget how insane it is. And that's really the charm of the film. Everything about it is larger than life, yet believable. This is exactly why it perfectly molds both the rock star film and an Apatow comedy so perfectly. It's the kind of comedy you would expect it to be, while not knowing exactly what is going to happen. If you don't like these kinds of comedies, this one may not be for you. But if you've enjoyed other films like Sarah Marshal, Pineapple Express, and other Apatow troop films, you'll find Greek hilarious. I know I did.
