I’ve always found myself to be fickle when it comes to the pacing in a movie. A film usually has 20 minutes to hook me, or I’ll just be a negative nancy the rest of the time. Get Him To The Greek took 19, but that’s less than 20, so I guess it wins.

Russell Brand reprises his role from Forgetting Sarah Marshall as caricature-rock god Aldous Snow. The premise of the flick is that he was once the top of his game, then came out with an album called “African Child” that sucked. Many jokes are made comparing the album to the worst things in Africa (famine, disease, war, apartheid, real humorous stuff). There’s some weird subplot about his lover/wife thing leaving him but that ultimately ended up being a pretty minor distraction.

So here’s our washed-up rock star. Que Jonah Hill as Aaron, an agent at a record studio. Naturally, he is a huge fan of Aldous Snow. We know this because we are introduced to Aaron while a Snow song plays in the background. Five seconds later, there is a Snow poster on his wall. When record exec Sergio (P-Diddy) asks for ideas on how to revitalize the industry or some crap, Aaron suggests a reunion show. “It’d make millions of dollars!”

Jonah Hill isn’t very believable as an intern or agent for a record label, but that’s okay, he doesn’t need to be. The dialogue feel a bit forced and doesn’t have the same heart as his other films. This is where the “19 minutes” bit comes in. Fortunately these scenes are early and get out of the way.

Consider yourself warned: the movie isn’t all wacky adventures of a rock star and his label companion; there are two subplots involving the love lives of Aaron and Snow. Aaron’s girlfriend is apparently an Ambien-addicted (I’m drawing conclusions) med student who works horrible hours. Aaron wants to go see the Pixies, she wants stay at home and watch Gossip Girl. Maybe it’s because my girlfriend is a nurse who works horrible hours, but I found this a cute plot. It pops up throughout the story, but it never really becomes a drag on the story. Not like Snow’s relationship with his ex-wife.

So the foul-mouthed, eccentric Sergio/P-Diddy (who is a surprise highlight of the film) sends Aaron to bring Snow to Los Angeles. All sorts of hijinks happen in the next 72 hours. The movie trailer gives the gist of it. Of particular note is the bit where Snow does a performance on the Today Show. The audience laughed when Meredith Veira showed up. I laughed when New York Times columnist Paul Krugman makes a cameo (I don’t think anyone else in the theater got it).

So we’re treated to a series of hilarious scenes as Aaron and Snow jet from London to New York, to Las Vegas, then finally to Los Angeles. Highlights include an absinth trip, now one of my favorite drug-induced montages ever (this was when I realized P-Diddy is hilarious in this movie) and a particularly awesome scene in Las Vegas, which is the comedic highlight of the movie (and cemented P-Diddy’s role as breakout star).

Jonah Hill has another hit film on his hands, and Russell Brand (who I thought was a bit shaky in Sarah Marshall) really picked up the slack. The two make for an interesting duo- they are more dynamic than the Hill/Cera combination in Superbad. Anziz Ansari makes a cameo, but only for five seconds, which was disappointing. P-Diddy was especially good (who knew?) I could have sat through another 20 minutes of this film, and judging by the trailer, there was a lot cut out. I wasn’t a fan of Russell Brand’s “outrageous rock star” character in Sarah Marshall, but he has a certain charm as the main catalyst in this film.

Get Him To The Greek probably will be the best comedies of the year (I could be wrong). It is definitely worth seeing as soon as possible.