BEFORE: This time Jonah Hill carries over, kicking off a mini-chain devoted to road trips. This one's sort of a sequel to "Forgetting Sarah Marshall", right? Or at least it features some of the characters from that film. This also looks like it could be sort of a mix between "This Is Spinal Tap" and "Midnight Run", if I'm lucky.
THE PLOT: A record company intern is hired to accompany out-of-control British rock star Aldous Snow to a concert at L.A.'s Greek Theater.
AFTER: This one turned out to be more entertaining than I thought it would. On one level, it's just about the problems inherent in getting a rock star to un-retire and perform, and then the actual nuts-and-bolts issued involved in getting him there. Think about someone like Keith Richards, say, or David Bowie - what's it going to take to get them up and onto a stage? What does it take to keep them sober, or in whatever condition they best perform in?
On another level, it's a commentary on the cult of celebrity, specifically with regards to rock stars. People who are worshipped, followed by fans and groupies, constantly told how great they are, and showered with money and gifts. What does that do to a person? Elvis Presley or Michael Jackson being two of the more extreme cases - the wealth, the substance abuse, the crazy lifestyles. That's all represented here in the character of Aldous Snow.
We also get a look here at the people behind the famous people - the handlers who make sure they get from place to place safely, without getting sidetracked or succumbing to temptation (drugs, booze, sex, for starters). I can relate because I'm still winding down from Comic-Con - while my boss was giving a panel and speaking to fans, I was in the back rooms of the convention center, arguing over inflated storage charges with the people who run the freight warehouse. I think of these as "Ian Faith" moments, named for the band manager in the Spinal Tap mockumentary. Ian would complain about having to find guitar strings at 3 am, while the band is partying with a bunch of girls, and I can sort of relate.
(NOTE: I do not work for rock stars, I work for animators, but the principle is occasionally the same)
I don't care much for Russell Brand, who plays the central rock star character, but I found I could tolerate him here, because he wasn't just a parody of some kind of rock icon here - he came across as a very real human who happened to be famous, and also happened to be pretty screwed up, trying (and failing) to stay clean and sober, coming off a failed relationship, lonely and unsure how to proceed with his career and life. So there was something about him that evoked sympathy, he wasn't just a stumbling, slurring buffoon.
Also starring Sean "P. Diddy" Combs (last seen in "Made"), Colm Meaney (last seen in "Law Abiding Citizen"), Elisabeth Moss (last heard in "Once Upon a Forest"), Rose Byrne (last seen in "X-Men: First Class"), with cameos from Aziz Ansari, Nick Kroll, Kirsten Bell, Lars Ulrich, Meredith Vieira, Rick Schroder, Kristen Schaal, T.J. Miller, Carla Gallo, Tom Felton.
RATING: 6 out of 10 plane tickets
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