You may be burned out on Seth Rogen – like the rest of the world – but nothing is going to make you forget about the overdose more than seeing what he does with his latest venture This is the End, which was co-written and co-directed by Rogen and his production partner Evan Goldberg.
There’s something exceptionally fun about watching actors play ridiculous versions of themselves. (If you’ve seen Ricky Gervais’ BBC series Extras, then you especially know what I’m talking about.) Each well-known member of the cast of This is the End plays a character based on his/her true self. At the center of this ensemble flick is Seth Rogen (Knocked-Up) and Jay Baruchel (The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and She’s Out of My League). The film opens with Baruchel coming to visit his best friend (Rogen) in Los Angeles for a week. Shortly after arriving, the two smoke weed and catch up, talking about their movies and lifestyles. Before long, Rogen proposes that they stop by James Franco’s housewarming party and it becomes evident that Baruchel doesn’t approve of Seth’s new well-known celebrity friends, but he agrees to go to the party anyway.
Like the party sequence that opens Cloverfield, we see a good chunk of banter from Franco’s party prior to the world-changing incident. (Many cameos abound, but I’ll refrain from spoiling them because they’re even more fun if you don’t see them coming.) Suddenly, random people are being beemed through blue lights in the sky and chaos breaks out as earthquakes rumble and lava-filled sink holes open up. With Hollywood Hills on fire, Rogen, Baruchel, Franco, Jonah Hill and Craig Robinson hunker down in the Franco home, unsure of what exactly is going on outside. They quickly board up the windows and turn the massive home into a fortress.
While waiting it out in the hopes that the problem outside will fix itself, we get non-stop humor from the survivors constantly ripping on one another for their real-life foibles. Rogen is ripped on for his bad acting in The Green Hornet. Hill is teased for being an Oscar-nominated actor. My favorite of these jokes was missed by nearly everyone in the theater when I saw it. After toying with a camcorder, one characters says that they should make home-video sequels to all of their movies. Franco agrees with something along the lines of, “Yeah – but not Your Highness.” No jokes are taboo. It’s a no-holds barred verbal match when these guys openly rip into one another.
As expected, This is the End features endless crude dialog and some graphic nudity. Be warned.
My only complaint with This is the End is that a few of the jokes and gags run on for too long. Each time that happens, the once-funny moments lose their humor. Aside from that, This is the End is an unforgettably hilarious comedy worthy of beeing seen on the big screen.
Photo credit: Columbia Pictures
