Supporting characters can make a film. James Bond wouldn’t have his licence to thrill without diabolical villains Jaws and Oddjob or alluring sex kittens Honey Ryder and Pussy Galore. Darth Vader’s heavy breathing booms across the Star Wars universe and Batman would be little more than a bored billionaire in a fancy dress without the demented Joker. However, these characters linger on the periphery for a reason: we love their eccentricities in small, concentrated doses. Get Him to the Greek foolishly promotes a supporting player — Russell Brand’s egotistical rock star Aldous Snow from the 2008 relationship comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall — to centre stage in his own film. You can have too much of a good thing and we have our fill of Aldous’s sexist outbursts well before the first hour. After years of dizzying success, Aldous releases the album African Child, which is lambasted by critics. One deems it the third worst thing to happen to Africa after war and famine. Soon after, the singer breaks up with girlfriend Maggie Q (Rose Byrne) and falls into disrepute in London. During a pitch meeting with crazed record company supremo Sergio (Sean Combs), underling Aaron Green (Jonah Hill) hits upon the brilliant idea of a tenth anniversary comeback concert to celebrate Snow’s most famous live outing at the legendary Greek Theater in Los Angeles. Despite initial reservations, Sergio eventually agrees and issues his minion with an ultimatum: “From the moment you touch down, you have 72 hours to get Aldous Snow to the Greek.” Unfortunately, Aldous loves to party, leading to a series of debauched encounters that jeopardise Aaron’s relationship with his girlfriend Daphne (Elizabeth Moss). Get Him to the Greek is a filthy-minded road movie pairing a sweet, loveable everyman with a swaggering lech, who asks for Aaron’s honest opinion of African Child and when he gets it, responds icily: “There’s a layer of respect, admittedly, for your truthfulness, but it’s peppered with hate.” Rapport between the leads is lukewarm, giving Combs the opportunity to scene steal as the bullish music maven with a large family to support. Writer-director Nicholas Stoller contrives some sporadically hilarious sequences including a hallucinogenic brawl at a Las Vegas casino, and the songs and music videos for Aldous and Jackie Q are a foul-mouthed delight. But he also pads out the running time with dull interludes such as Aldous’ reunion with his father (Colm Meaney) and a threesome involving Daphne that leaves us feeling uncomfortable. Like the LP which takes the lustre off Aldous’s glittering career, Get Him To The Greek hits too many bum notes. Ageing curmudgeon, Boris Yellnikoff (Larry David) allows pretty runaway Melodie St Ann Celestine (Evan Rachel Wood) to spend the night on his couch rather than sleep rough on the streets in Woody Allen’s Whatever Works. One night turns into one week and then one month as friendship blossoms between Boris and his new housemate. Companionship becomes genuine affection and Melodie gradually re-shapes her views on the world to mimic Boris. They marry. Then her parents Marietta (Patricia Clarkson) and John (Ed Begley Jr) turn up on Boris’s doorstep and throw the couple’s routine into disarray. Marietta feels her daughter should find love with someone younger and she sets about playing Cupid between Melodie and suitor, Randy James (Henry Cavill).