Rated
R (Crude and Sexual Content Throughout, Brief Graphic Nudity, Pervasive Language,
Drug Use and Some Violence)
Running
Time: 1 Hour & 47 Minutes
Cast
(as themselves)-
Seth
Rogen
Jay
Baruchel
James
Franco
Jonah
Hill
Craig
Robinson
Danny
McBride
Michael
Cera
Emma
Watson
Aziz
Ansari
Kevin
Hart
Robyn
'Rihanna' Fenty
Mindy
Kaling
David
Krumholtz
Christopher
Mintz-Plasse
Paul
Rudd
Jason
Segel
Martin
Starr
Channing
Tatum
Directed
by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg
 |
| Imagine spending the apocalypse with these guys! |
Note: Screened on Wednesday, May 22, 2013 at Regal Union Square Stadium 14.
2012
called, they want their apocalypse back! Despite numerous claims from fringe groups
that the Earth would suffer a cataclysmic event on December 21 last year, the day
went by with nary an incident but Hollywood's obsession with the end times keeps
on going like the Energizer Bunny, with three post-apocalyptic films being released
over a three month period, culminating with Edgar Wright's "The World's End"
in August. The first to arrive (in limited release) is "Rapture-Palooza"
on June 7th and not even a week later, we have the high-profile comedy
"This is the End." Based on a little-seen, 2007 nine-minute short
titled "Jay and Seth vs. The Apocalypse" (which stars, you guessed
it, Seth Rogen and Jay Baruchel), the film has been drawing a lot of attention due
to the large amount of celebrity cameos, with the central premise revolving around
the main cast playing exaggerated versions of themselves while faced with a
literal apocalypse. A project like this could either go very wrong or very right
and I'm glad to say that it's NOT the former. Hilariously self-deprecating, vulgar,
and surprisingly poignant, "This is the End" is poised to become not
only the funniest comedy of the summer but dare I say, the year as well.
Arriving
from Montreal, Jay Baruchel has come to Los Angeles to visit his old buddy Seth
Rogen in an effort to rekindle their friendship. After spending the day smoking
weed and playing video games, Rogen suggests going to James Franco's housewarming
party in Hollywood Hills but Baruchel is resistant to the idea as he is
uncomfortable with hanging around Rogen's new Tinseltown friends. He reluctantly
decides to tag along when Rogen promises he'll stay with him the whole night.
The party is already in full swing when they arrive at Franco's newly-furnished
home and in an attempt to bridge the gap between Baruchel and his more famous buddies,
Rogen encourages his old friend to mingle with the guests, which includes Jonah
Hill, Craig Robinson, Emma Watson, Rihanna, Mindy Kaling, and a coked-out Michael
Cera. Baruchel unfortunately fails to connect with anyone and he decides to go
for a cigarette run with Rogen. While perusing the candy aisle, beams of blue
light suddenly shoot down from the sky and start randomly abducting people. A
frightened Rogen and Baruchel rush back to Franco's home, just as a massive
earthquake hits L.A. and forms a giant sinkhole that swallows up many of the party's
guests. With the apocalypse seemingly upon them, Rogen, Baruchel, Franco, Hill,
Robinson, and an uninvited Danny McBride try to survive as rations slowly dwindle
and tensions start running high.
Not
since last summer's "Ted" have I laughed so hard in a theater! This
year hasn't exactly been kind to comedy films, with "A Haunted
House," "Movie 43," "Identity Thief," and "The Hangover
Part III" all receiving overwhelmingly negative reviews from critics.
"This is the End," which marks Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg's directorial
debuts, finally breaks that trend, delivering a comedy that will leave every audience
member guffawing in their seats until their insides hurt. The film starts off on
an innocuous note as Rogen picks up Baruchel at the airport while a paparazzo annoys
him about doing his trademark laugh. Although Baruchel was looking forward to spending
the day with Rogen, he's soon dragged to James Franco's housewarming party in Hollywood
Hills. This is where the majority of the celebrity cameos take place (which has
already been spoiled by the previews) and by far the most memorable one is Michael
Cera's, who has a little "Superbad" reunion with Jonah Hill and Christopher
Mintz-Plasse. Hopped up on cocaine, Cera ends up getting bitch-slapped by Rihanna
after he grabs her buttocks and later, Baruchel finds him in the bathroom while
he's getting orally serviced by two women as he sucks on a Juicy Juice with a
hilariously deadpan expression on his face! The party culminates with Craig Robinson
singing Take Yo Panties Off but before
the fun can continue, a massive earthquake rocks Los Angeles, leaving Rogen, Baruchel,
Franco, Hill, Robinson, and later McBride as the sole survivors.
The
laughs begin to pile on and yes, the film is
essentially just a bunch of sketches loosely stitched together. Although it does
feel somewhat bloated despite the relatively short running time, each of the
set-ups gets more outrageous then the last, from a drug-induced haze set to
Psy's Gangnam Style to the entire group
participating in a "Pineapple Express" sequel, complete with extremely
low production values and Jonah Hill filling in for Woody Harrelson. What makes
"This is the End" such a success is the all-star cast where each member
is playing fictionalized versions of themselves, with some degree of their
actual personality thrown in to inform their performances. James Franco plays up
his public persona as a pretentious douche, filling his mansion with gaudy artwork
and even a giant stuffed phallus. He even keeps all the props from his films as
he arms himself with a World War I pistol leftover from "Flyboys." Jonah
Hill is the suspiciously ultra-sweet guy (America's sweetheart he calls
himself) who seems awfully concerned about Jay's well-being while Craig Robinson
sticks with his big cartoon personality. Rogen and Baruchel form the 'heart' of
the film and what's interesting about their friendship is the way it comments
on the nature of being a celebrity. Eschewing the excessive Hollywood lifestyle
of Rogen and his new friends, Baruchel functions as the audience's stand-in and
he's the first to suspect the true nature of the apocalypse happening around
him. I won't spoil what it is but it does bring up some heavy themes about what
kind of person you really are when you're an actor or actress living in your
own bubble. When that bubble bursts and you find yourself coming up short as a
person, what do you do with the time you have left? At one point, Robinson proclaims
that 'we just get paid to act like we're hard…but we're not! We're soft! We're
soft as baby sh*t!' Even though they're all kind of bratty, their effort to change
themselves in a positive way makes them endearing and adds a sense of poignancy
since the story is ultimately a reaffirmation of their strong friendship with each
other.
Except
Danny McBride, of course. The "Eastbound & Down" actor is his usual
abrasive self, allowing him to shake up the group dynamic with his aggressive demeanor.
Most of the conflict revolves around his cavalier attitude, providing a nice
balancing act with the other's attempts to behave responsibly. McBride is
pretty much saying, 'F*ck it, it's the apocalypse so I'm gonna do whatever I
want and no one is gonna stop me.' This leads to some hilarious verbal
exchanges, including one where he and Franco literally explode at each other
regarding their masturbation habits! For the most part, Rogen and Goldberg keep
the action confined to Franco's house and what's impressive is the way they
maximize that limited space to create one funny sequence after another. The
outside world does occasionally intrude and an example would be Emma Watson's
much-advertised cameo where she threatens the men with a fire ax and
metaphorically castrates them by taking all their food. The last twenty minutes
gets so ridiculous that you have to see it to believe it, with exorcisms,
demons with Biblical-sized genitalia (impressive special effects despite the
really small production budget), surprise cameos, and an appearance from a 90's
boy band!
To
be released on June 12, 2013, "This is the End" has been receiving positive
reviews so far. If it keeps in line with most recent comedies, expect a final
tally around the mid-70's on Rotten Tomatoes. Given the film's high-concept
premise and its famous cast, box office success is all but assured, even with "Man
of Steel" competing on the same weekend. Audience reception at the advance
screening was incredibly enthusiastic. If you dislike sophomoric, vulgar humor,
then "This is the End" isn't for you but for everyone else, I doubt
you'll have a more fun time at the movies this year.
Final
Rating: 4 out of 5
"I'm
sorry, we just don't know you, man. You could be like a looter or a rapist or a
titti-f*cker…"
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