Double Team'd: One Hill of a Time!

Since I recently gave Jay Baruchel the Whore treatment, I thought it only fair that his buddy, Jonah Hill, get Double Team'd as well. Let's see if his summer movies have fared any better.

Cyrus


Release: 06.18.10 (limited)
Rated R
1 hour, 31 minutes


Matinee



With her wedding to Tim (Matt Walsh, Mystery Team) impending, Jamie (Catherine Keener, Hamlet 2) tries to get her dependent ex-husband, John (John C. Reilly, Chicago), back into the dating scene. After one too many drinks, John is discovered releasing the Red Bull into the bushes by Molly (Marisa Tomei, Alfie). Their connection is electric. As the sparks start to fly, John discovers Molly already has a man in her life: her eccentric, twenty-one year-old son, Cyrus (Jonah Hill, Grandma's Boy).

Writing-directing brothers Jay and Mark Duplass (Baghead) crafted an enjoyable, albeit languid, tale about the courtship between two emotionally dysfunctional people. The slow pacing was made worse by the fact that nearly every pivotal moment had been laid out in the trailer.

The cast gave excellent performances, although I wish Matt Walsh had have gotten a little more screen time. His character wouldn't have added anything to the story, but I just wanted more of him. Hill and Reilly handle the tête-à-tête between their characters superbly. It's never outrageous or unbelievable, but the love both men have for Molly is apparent.

Dirty Undies
I'm wondering if the Duplass brothers meant to capture Reilly's tighty-whitey package so vividly. I don't think I ever expected to see that side of the man. Tomei proves she's still the go-to gal for sexy, older women roles.

The Money Shot
When it was over, I felt there was an entire act missing from Cyrus. The story only touches the surface of the relationships and conflicts between Jamie, John, Molly and Cyrus. Fun? Yes. Wholly satisfying? Not completely.




Get Him to the Greek

Release: 06.04.10
DVD Release: 09.28.10
Rated R
1 hour, 49 minutes


Second Run Seats



Pinnacle Records is in dire need of generating some capital. During a staff meeting, Aaron Green (Jonah Hill, Funny People) has a great idea to infuse the label with cash: throw a tenth anniversary concert with rock legend Aldous Snow (Russell Brand, Forgetting Sarah Marshall) at L.A.'s Greek Theater. Loving the idea, his boss, Sergio Roma (Sean Combs, Monster's Ball), assigns Aaron the task of getting Snow to the show.

While it sounds easy enough, Snow is a drunken, drugged-out, uncontrollable ass. From this, hilarity (mostly) ensues. Director Nicholas Stoller's sophomore project never quite matches the outlandish good time, or the heartfelt emotion, of Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Maybe that wasn't what he was going for, but the unwieldy final act says otherwise.

Aziz Ansari (Funny People) and Carla Gallo (40 Year Old Virgin) had brief, but funny scenes. The backdrop was also littered with some decent cameos from the music world. Audiences have said Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs' acting was great. He was wildly funny, but honestly, how hard is it for him to play a self-serving record producer?

Dirty Undies
Greek was chock full of sex, drugs, drinking, but very little rock 'n' roll. I think Snow's ex-lover, Jackie Q (Rose Byrne, Knowing), had the best song, Ring 'Round. By the way, I never thought Byrne was my cup of tea, but she cleans up nice.

The Money Shot
Get Him to the Greek had me cracking up about as much as it had me checking my watch. I think I was more concerned by Jonah Hill's weight than his plight to reinvigorate the career of a washed-up rockstar. (Seriously, Hill looks friggin' huge in this. Not good, dude.) It's a movie I'm glad I got to see, and maybe in ten years, I'd give it an obligatory anniversary viewing.