GET HIM TO THE GREEK / ***½

Distributor: Universal
Release Date: June 4, 2010
Genre: Comedy
Running Time: 109 minutes
MPAA Rating: R

Two years ago, Nick Stoller’s “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” proved that Jason Segal had the talent and charisma to headline a romantic comedy. It showed that Kristen Bell and Mila Kunis are as funny and talented as they are beautiful. It also unleashed the scene-stealing comic whirlwind known as Aldous Snow, the lead singer for a group called Infant Sorrow. As played by Russell Brand, Snow is a cliché of a glam rock icon – he wears makeup and gaudy clothing, sleeps with every woman he sees, and is a complete jerk to his biggest fans. This one performance turned Brand into a star in America, and rightfully so.

That one performance also spawned a sort-of sequel, “Get Him to the Greek,” in which Snow steps out of the supporting character spotlight and takes on a lead role. Whereas he was restrained slightly by his seven years of sobriety in “Forgetting,” it is made immediately clear from the beginning of “Greek” that Snow has fallen hard off the wagon.

His most recent album tanked, and the true love of his life, Jackie Q (Rose Byrne), no longer wants to be with him. The only person who seems to want anything to do with him is a Capital Records intern and lifelong Infant Sorrow fan Aaron Green (Jonah Hill, not reprising his role from “Marshall”). Green suggests to his boss Sergio Roma (the shockingly hilarious Sean “P. Diddy” Combs) that they run a 10-year anniversary concert for Sorrow’s seminal performance at the Greek Theater. There’s just one problem – transporting Snow from London to Los Angeles in a scant 72 hours.

What follows is a healthy blend of cross continental sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll, with plenty of bromance and romance in between. Hill and Brand are a terrific comic team, and their chemistry together carries the film through most of its shaky moments.

“Get Him to the Greek” is not as consistently funny or instantly endearing as “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” but it has its own quirky charms. Combs steals every scene he’s in, Colm Meaney is pitch perfect as Snow’s father Jonathan, and Lars Ulrich has a memorable cameo.

Ultimately I think Aldous Snow works better as a supporting character, but “Get Him to the Greek” was a worthwhile experiment.

Theater: RDM Westroads 14, Omaha, Nebraska
Time: 115 am (quality check)
Date: June 3, 2010