Disappointing

Rating: 5/10 (25 November 2018)

Disappointing. Started off incredibly well - screamingly funny, and a good parody of the music industry. Then about halfway through, it just suddenly hit a wall, running out of ideas, and anything funny to say.
If the music industry parody could have been maintained at the same level of intensity and humour as in the first half, this would have been a great movie. The edginess just seemed to disappear after a while, plus the writer and director seemed to think the movie was a drama, delving into some rather half-baked takes on relationships.
Russell Brand is great in the lead role, playing a character that was tailor-made for his rock star-like personality and appearance. Jonah Hill is weak and irritating as the sidekick. The surprise performance comes from Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs as the intense record exec. He is amazingly good, and almost steals the show from Russell Brand.
Watch the first 40 minutes or so, and save yourself some time by skipping the rest.