“Get Him to the Greek”: ’30s screwball bromance

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 00:20:00 +0000

You could sketch out the story of "Get Him to the Greek" on the back of a cocktail napkin -- that's probably how it was written in the first place -- and you'd get most of it right. Take a preening English rock star on the down slope of a once-huge career and a shlubby American talent agent trying to make his bones. Give them 36 hours to get from London to New York to a concert at L.A.'s Greek Theater. Interrupt as necessary with booze, drugs, trashy nightclubs, unscheduled visits to Vegas and floozies of various nationalities. Give the agent a hard-ass boss with the affect and personality of Sean "P. Diddy" Combs. OK, make it be Sean Combs.

Then add the celebrity cameos required by all zany comedies these days: Say, Meredith Vieira, Lars Ulrich, Paul Krugman. Wait -- hello? I must have had too many myself; for a second I thought you said "Paul Krugman." No, it's true. The Nobel-winning economist and New York Times columnist appears in writer-director Nicholas Stoller's dudealicious comedy, conversing with vomit-streaked talent agent Aaron Green (Jonah Hill) in the green room of the "Today" show. "My dad really loves your shit," Aaron assures him.

Salon.com > Get Him to the Greek

“Get Him to the Greek”: ’30s screwball bromance