Though not a "sequel" in the strictest sense, this spin-off from Forgetting Sarah Marshall reuses a single element from its predecessor: the character of Aldous Snow, as played by the likes of Russell Brand. Jonah Hill made a brief appearance in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, too, but Get Him to the Geek renders the actor as a different character entirely - a talent scout named Aaron Green, who's left to babysit the world's most unruly pop star. What could have been an unmitigated disaster of the highest order actually emerges as a relentlessly funny (and relentlessly paced) buddy comedy with enough heart, humour and hallucinogens that you forget any connection it had with the arguably lesser Jason Segel original; not to mention the fact that Brand and Hill are a great duo. The plot follows a simple "one character must get another character from A to B" schtick - a classic of the comedy genre, if ever there was one. But the writing here is sharp, the gags well-observed and the faux musical numbers almost good enough to convince you that they're real songs. And then there's Rose Byrne, whose insanely sexy take on that of the British female pop star - Jackie Q - is ripe, candid and totally hilarious.
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
