Who is getting tired of sequels and remakes?
Hollywood to the rescue with a novel idea: a feature film SPIN-OFF.
Essentially, Get Him to the Greek is a spin-off from the hysterical Jason Segel comedy, Forgetting Sarah Marshall. It centers on Sarah Marshall character Aldous Snow, a sex-addict, drug-addict rock star played by Russell Brand. The other main character, Aaron Green, played by Jonah Hill, is quite similar to Jonah Hill’s character in Sarah Marshall (he is still a fan boy obsessed with Aldous Snow, only now he works for a record label in LA rather than a hotel in Hawaii). Did that make your head hurt?
I loved Sarah Marshall, so I figured I would give this movie a shot. Going in, I had several reservations. 1) Could Russell Brand’s shtick as Aldous Snow remain entertaining for more than fifteen minutes? 2) Would the movie have any plot? 3) Would this be the start of more Hollywood spin-offs?
Reservation 1: For the most part, I enjoyed the movie and never got the feeling that it was a comedy sketch being forced into a full-length feature. The most surprising reason why the movie held my attention, Sean Shawn Jean John P. Puff Daddy Diddy Honey Combs. When he was on screen, he commanded attention, and I have a feeling that we are going to be seeing Mr. Combs in a lot more movies from this point forward.
Reservation 2: The movie had a decent plot. It is about taking chances, finding yourself, and recognizing the importance of relationships. That being said, there are some strange scenes where the comedy is lacking and the characters become unlikable (such as during an awkward three-way).
Reservation 3: It seems that we are on the cusp of Hollywood’s new way to avoid creativity: the spin-off. I actually enjoy remakes and sequels (for the most part), but am wary of adding another way to avoid new ideas. I want to see something original, but if the studios have their way, it looks like we are in store for more retreaded material. For example, it sounds like the Tom Cruise-Les Grossman experience will be coming our way in full feature format sooner rather than later.
In the end, the movie was enjoyable. It had funny and heartfelt moments along with unfunny and awkward ones. If you were a big fan of Forgetting Sarah Marshall or have an affinity for Puffy, I would definitely recommend it. Otherwise, I would probably wait and catch it on DVD.
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- Kevin
