Ummm.. was this the SAME character?

Rating: 5/10 (28 September 2010)

I REALLY wanted to like this movie. honestly.. I LOVED the Snow character in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" and his weird brand of insanity.. really plugged into the movie. Unfortunately what worked in that film.. can't really sustain for a TWO hour film.
Jonah Hill returns. as a new character.. And.. I don't dislike Hill as some do. But he really didn't' add anything to the proceedings.. and as the film moves along. it feels more like MOMENTS that work well enough on their own.. but as en entire film, it never really ties together.
And as you clip along into the third act.. Snow finds his "rock and roll life" empty.. And what was with putting Rose Byrne in the movie? She had some funny lines.. but yet again, didn't add too much to the film over all. If anything.. the relationship between Aldous and his "son" is what should have been explored.. sadly the same with his father (while some funny moments... nothing really felt resolved, as you'd think.
But. that's the REAL problem here. with Aldous being the CRAZY and loopy rock star.. part of what worked in his earlier role.. is that everyone around him was kind of normal. and you even identified with SOME of the characters. You don't here really.. and the movie jumps from being "guy being smacked in the face/head" to this.. kind of slightly serious third act.
Sean Combs? I have nothing against him or his music (not my taste). But it seemed like they thought the foul mouthed Tom Cruise character from "Tropic Thunder" was a good idea.. but let's let P. Diddy drop the bombs. he really has no impact as a character.. and he has no real presence in the film as a whole either.
The movie had.. at the first minute a confusing opening.. but then again.. it makes sense giving the "music video" in Marshall.. But..
I don't hate the film totally.. there were a few laughs.. Carla Gallo shows up as a stripped named Destiny.. is a real stand out BIT for the film.. in the whole over the top level as they go. but.. it never felt they were poking FUN at the rock star life, as you'd hope.. and they never really make much of a notice of how miserable, really, that it makes Aldous to have to live it..
This is by far to me the WEAKEST Apatow entry.. It scores just below "Funny Peope" (can't comment on "Drillbit Taylor".. so I won't). Unlike "Funny People" which may not have been GREAT.. it did tie together quite well.
This is a real disappointment on ALL levels.. from the director, Stoeller who did a great job with Marshall just felt FLAT and confined here.. the casting was OK.. but the characters were so transparently THIN and really unlikable or unrelatable (Adam Green and his girlfriend being the two worst in this area).
There are some THEMES that.. it would have been GREAT to explore.. the whole idea of Aldous finding his LOVE of performing again.. deciding the rock star life wasn't for him.. or the fact that record managers are A lot of the problem telling people what they WANT to hear.. rather than what they NEED to hear.. all great things that MIGHT have given.. something to this film..
but, as I said.. there are IDEAS thrown out there.. and I did like the BRIEF callback to Sarah Marshall.. it tied the worlds together. But over all.. its not a film that's either fall out funny.. and not a film you can identify with the characters (I couldn't anyway). So it fell as a rather sharp disappointment. I was quite looking forward to it. The character had such great potential, and the idea of a film pointing out the flaws and foibles behind the music industry could have been GREAT fodder for the film. As it stands the episode of South Park about illegal downloads really does have more depth than this film. unfortunate.