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Russell Fatigue

Those of you who haven't forgotten "Forgetting Sarah Marshall", Jason Segel's modest break-up comedy, may remember the character of Aldous Snow. Played with egomaniacal glee by British comedian Russell Brand, Aldous was the perfect foil for Mr. Segel's lovelorn protagonist: a rock star with a supercharged id and no inside voice. With "Get Him to the Greek", Aldous gets a movie all his own and the result is, as you might expect, too much of a good thing. The comedian may be funny, but the character wears thin. Like Vin Diesel's Riddick, Aldous Snow may have been best left in a supporting role.

The "Greek" of the title refers to the Greek Theater in Los Angeles, where Aldous is scheduled to play a comeback concert (his last album was a flop of epic proportions). It's up to record company intern Aaron Green (Jonah Hill) to get Aldous from his home in London to L.A. in time for the show. Along the way, the script by Nicholas Stoller inserts the fairly requisite "zany misadventures" involving drinking, drugs, one unfortunate family reunion, and a startling amount of penetration of poor Mr. Hill's backside.

Mr. Stoller, who also directed "Sarah Marshall", is back behind the camera, and the film has the choppy, quick-cut feel of a sitcom. Mr. Hill, as always, is game for anything, and the film survives on his willingness to embrace his plight. As Aaron's underused girlfriend, it's good to see Elisabeth Moss from "Mad Men" in more contemporary attire. But it's Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs (yes, that Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs) who all but steals the film as Aaron's foul-mouthed boss. Mr. Combs playfully tweaks his own over-size off-screen persona while also striking the right balance of comedy and character.

Being a Judd Apatow production, "Greek" is another in a list of comedies that are simply too long ("Knocked Up", "Funny People"). The film should have been a lean 90 minutes. Instead, it pushes two hours. All, one assumes, in the name of character development. The filmmakers should have spent some of that time developing some better songs for Aldous to perform. I know the songs are supposed to be bad, but there's good bad (see "Spinal Tap") and bad bad.

Fans of 1982's Peter O'Toole gem, "My Favorite Year", may find the "Greek" plot familiar (hapless showbiz lackey is saddled with drug-addled has-been star, both learn valuable life lessons). But Brand is no O'Toole, and "Greek" is not likely to have the word "favorite" associated with it any time soon.