Raunchy and funny, this spectacle has sex, drugs, rock 'n' roll, and plenty of cringing. The character Aldous Snow from Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008) returns, still a dissolute exhibitionist played by British comedian Russell Brand. Kristen Bell makes a brief cameo as Snow's ex-girlfriend Marshall, but his current squeeze is Jackie Q, a trash talking fellow exhibitionist, played to nasty perfection by angel-faced Rose Byrne (TV show Damages, Adam), who got the role after Emily Blunt dropped out. The lead is Jonah Hill as Aaron Green, whom Aldous calls "an affable nitwit," which description I quite like and will be using for some time. Most of Hill's previous roles, other than his uncredited cameo in Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, have been affable nitwits. Writer/director Nicholas Stoller, who also directed Sarah Marshall, should get a nice payoff from this sorta-sequel. Rottentomatoes gives it 72%, and while the majority enjoyed it, the 28% really hated it. Russell Brand is a funny bloke (I'm looking forward to seeing him in the title role in the Arthur remake). Elisabeth Moss (Jack always fills me in on the West Wing regulars, which she was, but I know her better from Mad Men, of which I watched the first season, and Girl, Interrupted (1999)) is underutilized and a buzzkill (I hope intentionally so) in each of her scenes. There are lots of rock in-jokes and cameos, not to mention former rapper Sean Combs (whose breakout role was his second, in Monster's Ball (2001), a decidedly unfunny movie) playing Aldous' record producer (are we still allowed to call them records? They are recordings after all). For a change, the soundtrack listing is all on imdb, way more songs than are on the soundtrack record/album/CD/download.
Don't take your kids, don't go with your teenagers (you'll all be embarrassed), and keep your expectations low, and you'll probably have a pretty good time. And stay for the brief bonus at the very end.
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