Russell Brand Movies
Something of a Renaissance man in his native Britain -- a performer who divides his time between screen acting, journalism, radio emceeing, and standup comedy -- Russell Brand trademarked himself via an outlandishly flamboyant, rave-happy persona, sporting the goth-tinged apparel, black mascara, and a bouffant, mile-high hairdo to match. He first entered show business at a tender age, with a portrayal of the gangster Fat Sam in the theatrical version of the kiddie musical Bugsy Malone, then moved into standup comedy, with a series of innumerable appearances on U.K. television (each one underscoring his anarchic image). For a time in the mid- to late 2000s, the press reported that the Channel 4 network was struggling to find the right vehicle to house Brand's larger-than-life personality and schtick; one of the more popular series, Russell Brand's Ponderland, intercut routines by Brand with flip and video archival clips. Brand made history when he signed as an on-air DJ with BBC 6 Music and helped that station drive its listener count through the roof, and as of 2002 began segueing into acting roles in features. Brand made two of his more high-profile appearances as Flash Harry in the boarding school comedy St. Trinian's, and as Aldous Snow, an obnoxious British rocker who whisks the lead character's girlfriend away, in the Judd Apatow-produced romantic comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall. The movie was a huge hit, and Brand followed it up with a starring role in another comedy, Get Him to the Greek, opposite Jonah Hill in 2010. Brand's would also lend his vocal talents to animated features like 2010's Despicable Me and 2011's Hop. He even payed homage to his British roots with the role of jester Trinculo in Julie Taymor's 2011 adaptation of Shakespeare's The Tempest, opposite a femaile Prospero played by Helen Mirren. The chemistry between the two English stars would sustain for another film as well, as they reteamed for 2011's Arthur.In 2010 Brand married pop star Katy Perry, but filed for divorce from her fourteen months later. In 2012 he appeared in the hair-metal jukebox musical Rock of Ages. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
The immature heir to a billion-dollar empire finds himself cut off from the family fortune after rejecting his arranged marriage to a nouveau riche socialite, and instead falling for a free-spirited unlicensed tour guide in this remake of the sentimental 1981 comedy starring Dudley Moore. Arthur (Russell Brand) was raised in the lap of luxury. His family is wealthy beyond compare, and ever since he was a child his every whim has been catered to by his nanny, Hobson (Helen Mirren), and his chauffeur, Bitterman (Luis Guzman). But the party starts to wind down when Arthur's domineering mother (Geraldine James) insists that he marry Susan (Jennifer Garner), the daughter of a self-made millionaire (Nick Nolte) who isn't above intimidating his future son-in-law into marriage. Vehemently opposed to the idea due to the fact that he and Susan have nothing in common, Arthur rejects the proposal after falling in love with Linda (Greta Gerwig), an aspiring children's book author who pays the rent by giving unofficial tours of Grand Central Station. As a result, Arthur has to decide if he can face life as a normal member of the working class -- and without his trusty flask of booze. Television veteran Jason Winer (Modern Family) directs from a script by Peter Baynham (Brüno, Borat). ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Helen Mirren, Greta Gerwig, (more)
Jobless slacker Fred (James Marsden) discovers that hares make horrible houseguests after injuring the Easter Bunny (Russell Brand) and agreeing to nurse the little hopper back to health in this animated comedy from the writers of Despicable Me, and director Tim Hill (Rocko's Modern Life, SpongeBob SquarePants). For the past 4,000 years, the Easter Bunny has brought joy and candy to kids all across the globe; however, the time has come for a new Easter Bunny to take over the tradition. But while EB is the next in line to receive the official title, he couldn't care less about becoming the official bearer of chocolate eggs and jellybeans. Escaping to Hollywood in a bid to find fame and fortune, EB hops in front of an oncoming car driven by Fred, who agrees to give him a place to recover until he's healthy enough to hop along home. Now, the harder Fred struggles to stop his furry new companion from sending his life into a tailspin, the more satisfaction he begins to get out of his newfound responsibility. With a little luck and a whole lot of patience, Fred just might become the man who saved Easter for everyone. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- James Marsden, Russell Brand, (more)
An ambitious young record company executive attempts to transport an unpredictable rock star to L.A.'s Greek Theatre in time for his hotly anticipated comeback performance in this spin-off of the comedy hit Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Aaron Green (Jonah Hill) has just landed his dream job in the record industry, and he's eager to prove his worth. His first assignment: travel to London and escort British rock god Aldous Snow (Russell Brand) to the show that will re-ignite his career. Before he departs, Aaron is warned by his boss Sergio Roma (Sean Combs) to never let Aldous out of his sight, and never underestimate his capacity for mayhem. Immensely talented yet deeply tortured, Aldous hit the bottle hard after his popularity began to wane and his girl walked out on him. Aldous is locked in the midst of an existential crisis, and rues the thought of being accompanied across the pond by an insincere sycophant. Though it seems like sex is the only thing Aldous ever thinks about, his thoughts turn to romance when he discovers that gorgeous model/pop singer Jackie Q (Rose Byrne) will be in Los Angeles at the time of his concert, too. Jackie Q is the love of Aldous' life, and he'll do anything and everything to win her heart. With the concert fast approaching and Aaron's fledgling career on the line, the race is on to get Aldous to the Greek, and ensure the big show goes off without a hitch. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jonah Hill, Russell Brand, (more)
A mysterious criminal mastermind has stolen one of the pyramids in Egypt, sparking a fit of jealous envy in evil genius Gru (Steve Carell), who hasn't managed to make headlines since he and his minions swiped the Times Square JumboTron years back. Ever since Gru was a little boy, he dreamed of going to the moon. Now, if Gru can just build a rocket and get his hands on a powerful shrink-ray, he can cement his reputation as the greatest thief who ever lived by stealing the Earth's satellite right out of the sky. But immediately after Gru heists the shrink-ray, the cunning super-nerd Vector (Jason Segel) swoops in and snatches it right out of his hands. Now, in order to claim the moon, Gru must first reacquire the weapon from Vector. Armed with the knowledge that his nemesis has a mean sweet tooth, Gru adopts cookie-selling orphans Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Agnes (Elsie Fisher), and Edith (Dana Gaier) and commissions a new line of cookie robots from the evil Dr. Nefario (Russell Brand), his personal weapons specialist. But as Gru and his diminutive yellow minions prepare to carry out the biggest heist in history, something strange happens. Gru discovers that the three little girls who have come into his life are much more than simple pawns. They actually seem to care about Gru, and it turns out the scheming evildoer makes a pretty good father. When Gru realizes that his upcoming moon mission clashes with a ballet performance by the girls, he must decide what's more important -- being a present parent or cementing his nefarious reputation once and for all. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Steve Carell, Jason Segel, (more)
- 2010
- PG13
- Add The Tempest to Queue
Across the Universe's Julie Taymor shakes up Shakespeare with her adaptation of The Tempest, retrofitting the fantastical tale with a female lead, casting Academy Award-winning actress Helen Mirren in what is usually the male role of Prospero. The storyline follows the newly coined Prospera (Mirren), an exiled magician who uses her powers to call upon a tempest to bring her enemies to the island she's been forced to call home, not knowing that it will bring a suitor to her daughter, Miranda (Felicity Jones). The Miramax/Touchstone release also stars David Strathairn, Djimon Hounsou, Russell Brand, Alfred Molina, and Ben Wishaw. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi
- Starring:
- Helen Mirren, Felicity Jones, (more)
The Pacifier director Adam Shankman helms this children's fantasy concerning a hotel handyman who gradually begins to realize that the imaginative bedtime stories he tells his niece and nephew are somehow beginning to manifest themselves in the real world. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Adam Sandler, Keri Russell, (more)
In desperate need of a vacation after being unceremoniously dumped by his TV-star girlfriend, a man travels to a lavish Hawaiian resort to nurse his wounds and forget his heartache, only to discover that his ex and her handsome new boyfriend are currently staying at the exact same island hot spot. Peter Bretter (Jason Segel) may be just another struggling musician, but for the past six years he's been dating Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell), one of the hottest stars on television. Sarah is everything in the world to Peter, so when she kindly but firmly tells him that they should each go their separate ways, he is absolutely devastated. Later, after attempting to salvage his ego by awkwardly attempting to become a womanizer and nearly losing his job because of a nervous breakdown, an emotionally fragile Peter attempts to put the past behind him by escaping to the sun-soaked beaches of Oahu. While at first it seems as if Peter has discovered the perfect prescription for a bad case of lost love, his plan soon turns to dust when Sarah and her new rock-star boyfriend, Aldous (Russell Brand), turn up at the exact same resort. Though accepting Sarah's lavish new lifestyle won't be easy for the crestfallen Peter, the laid-back companionship of flirtatious resort employee Rachel (Mila Kunis) -- not to mention a continuous regimen of fruity cocktails -- goes a long way in mending the wounds of a broken heart. Forgetting Sarah Marshall was penned by Segel and produced by Judd Apatow. Fun with Dick and Jane screenwriter Nicholas Stoller makes his directorial debut. The cast also includes Paul Rudd, Bill Hader, Jack McBrayer, and Jonah Hill. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jason Segel, Kristen Bell, (more)
The uniformed but rebellious students of a distinguished all-girls school get an unexpected chance to raise a little hell as directors Oliver Parker and Barnaby Thompson set out to revive the characters created by comic artist Ronald Searle and made popular in the British film series that began with 1954's The Belles of St. Trinian's. When their beloved school is threatened with closure should the powers that be fail to raise the proper funds, the girls scheme to steal a priceless painting and use the profits to pull St. Trinian's out of the black. Rupert Everett, Colin Firth, and Mischa Barton star in a mischievous comedy penned by Piers Ashworth and Nick Moorcroft. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Rupert Everett, Colin Firth, (more)
- 2002
Originally telecast in the United Kingdom, the two-part miniseries White Teeth was based on Zadie Smith's 2000 bestseller about the perils of cultural assimilation in modern day North London. Taking place in the years 1974 to 1992 and set in the melting-pot community of Willesden Green, the story focuses on three different families. The Jamaican-English Archie Jones (Phil Davis) is a professional envelope-folder, while his wife, Clara (Naomie Harris), is a lapsed Jehovah's Witness. Archie's old army buddy Samad Iqbal (Om Puri) is a Bengalese waiter who hails from Bangladesh, also the home country of his sharp-tongued spouse, Alsana (Archie Panjabi). And the Malfen family, headed by Joyce and Marcus (Geraldine James, Robert Bathurst), are fiercely dedicated charter members of the Keepers of the Eternal and Victorious Islamic Nation (or KEVIN for short). Deftly combining comedy, drama, melodrama, and pathos, the Dickensian interactions and interrelationships among the three families manage to accommodate a variety of dizzying plot convolutions involving disenchanted youngsters, racial prejudice, social pretensions, cult worship, misguided animal activists, a genetically modified mouse, a Nazi war criminal, and a bizarre but brilliant kidnapping scheme. In the United States, White Teeth first aired May 11, 2003, as part of the PBS Masterpiece Theatre anthology. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Om Puri, Philip Davis, (more)
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