This Is The End

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This is the end. Well, you know, unless there's a sequel. 

In a time when comedy is usually defined by how idiotically Will Ferrell reacts to everyday situations, it's nice to know that there are still screwball antic movies that can be coarse, funny, and original. Stars you know well (Seth Rogen, James Franco, Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson, Emma Watson, etc.) and some not so well (Danny McBride, Jay Baruchel) all play fictionalized versions of themselves in this apocalyptic comedy. Jay comes to LA to visit Seth, and the two end up at a party at James Franco's house. At the party, Michael Cera hits on Rihanna, Craig Robinson and Emma Watson discuss their love of Forrest Gump, the trio from Superbad relive their glory days, and the world ends.  

A handful of the stars, including Craig, Seth, James, Jonah, Jay and Danny, survive the initial shockwave, but are discouraged when they find out why they're still on earth. After determining that this is the Biblical Apocalypse, they conclude they were not among those worthy enough to ascend into Heaven. Instead, they must struggle to stay alive on the now treacherous Earth, where cannibals and demonic monsters are waiting to take the actors' lives for their own. 

Now, with a cast like this, it's clear that the bulk of the comedy is similar to such films as Knocked Up, Hot Tub Time Machine, and Superbad. All of these films, including This is The End, see most of their comedy come from a group of guys talking about inappropriate stuff and doing inappropriate things. But in this movie, there's a little more to the comedy on top of the usual gags, and it makes This is The End a bit more noteworthy.

As a movie fan, I really appreciated the connections to other cinematic works. I saw this as a movie made by movie lovers, for movie lovers. There were obvious hints to The Exorcist and Evil Dead towards the end. But hearing things like Jonah Hill saying "God? It's me, Jonah. From Moneyball," listening to the Forrest Gump debate, and seeing a homemade sequel to Pineapple Express made for plenty of Hollywood nostalgia ranging from the most recent and distant years of film. Personally, one of my favorite parts of the movie was seeing Michael Cera, Jonah Hill, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse all talking by the pool, and contrary to the way they acted in Superbad, seeing Cera as the reckless alcoholic and Hill and Mintz-Plasse as the well-mannered gentlemen. Sometimes, the little things are the most memorable.

There's plenty to pick at with this movie. The party scene was often a jumble of names and faces, and only of the few jokes and puns were truly laugh-worthy. I was a bit thrown off with how the movie had household-names like James Franco and Seth Rogen placed alongside lesser-known stars like Danny McBride (for those who haven't seen Pineapple Express) and Jay Baruchel. Both men have respectable filmographies, but aren't recognizable in a mainstream context. Their roles and portrayals were great, but I couldn't help but ask myself many times during the movie, "Who are these guys?"

Overall, I thought the beginning was okay, the middle was great, and the latter part was fantastic. Towards the end, I came to realize how genius the script was and that the movie is a both a delight and a crudely humorous romp for those who are able to appreciate and enjoy film at the same time.

Rating: 4/5