This Is the End

Starring: James Franco, Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson, Michael Cera, Emma Watson, Mindy Kaling, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Rihanna, Martin Starr, Paul Rudd, Channing Tatum, Kevin Hart, Aziz Ansari, Jason Segel
Directed by: Evan Goldberg, Seth Rogen
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Fantasy
2013

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: The world comes to an end while James Franco is having a big party at his house for his A-list friends.

Review:

Tim: Maybe I like This Is the End more than I should. I love the idea of the film, which I can't recall ever having been done before- you get a collection of actors who are friends, and you have them play themselves (or variations of themselves) in a film. I love this idea, because it feels like you're getting to watch famous people you know interact with their friends, who are also famous people. Obviously, the whole thing is fiction, but it's fun nevertheless. The fact that these friends are interacting during the apocalypse makes the whole thing even funnier.

I'm going to claim This Is the End is a great movie because I had so much fun watching it. The cast have all appeared with each other in various movies, and it was just great fun seeing them all together here. I loved the various interactions they had with each other, the references to the movies they've done, and the ridiculous conversations they have. Another viewer could watch this movie and proclaim it to be awful, and would probably have valid reasons to support that belief. I wouldn't be interested in arguing with them- for me, this film made me laugh, entertained me, and I had a great time watching it. I believe it's a (minor) great film.

The cast is fantastic. The two leads in the film are likely Seth Rogen and Jay Baruchel (even though they didn't get top billing). The basic premise here is that they are old friends, and Seth wants Jay to be friends with his new group of friends. There's some truth to this basic concept, and it's fun to see this play out on screen. Rogen comes across just as you would expect him to- nice, loveable, and goofy. Baruchel did a good job of playing himself, but a particularly pretentious version of himself. I liked the dynamic of their friendship, which serves as the heart of the film. James Franco was a great addition, since he's been in so many movies with so much of the cast. I love that Franco was able to poke fun at himself and didn't take himself too seriously. He doesn't come across the most stable, normal person, and that is really, really funny. I loved seeing Jonah Hill here, who played the ultra-nice guy (but who isn't above praying to God to kill someone he doesn't like). It was really fun seeing Hill here, interacting with these other actors. I really like Craig Robinson, although he felt a little out of place here (and why did he have a towel on his shoulder the whole movie?). Robinson still worked well and did have some very funny moments. I also love that Danny McBride has mastered playing this unlikable jerk, as he does in this film. He had no problems generating a great deal of laughs because of his awful behavior. These six actors make up the majority of the cast, and it's their interactions we see most often and spend the most time with. These six worked exceptionally well together, and it was so much fun seeing their humorous exchanges on the screen.

The supporting cast was good, too, although I wish many of those actors had more time. Jason Segel appears in an uncredited role, but I desperately wish he had more screen time. Emma Watson has a few funny moments, but she felt a bit odd in the cast (why was she there again?). Michael Cera has hilarious, playing himself as basically the exact opposite of himself in real life (which was very funny). Paul Rudd shows up for one second (pointless), although Channing Tatum's cameo was hilarious. I loved the very brief scene of the three stars of Superbad reuniting here as well. One of the best aspects of this whole film is seeing all these famous people together.

The film features some hilarious moments. I loved the references to their films, especially the ultra-low budget "Pineapple Express 2". Franco and McBride have some unforgettable, profanity-laced conversations which I won't even elude to here (I laughed, though). The conversation about NOT raping Emma Watson made me laugh out loud as well. There's just so many great moments throughout this film.

I know this film has its flaws, but it is a comedy, and it made me laugh continually throughout the film (more than a movie has in quite a long time). For that reason, you can say this movie accomplished it's chief objective- comedies are supposed to be funny, and unfortunately, far too many of them aren't. This movie succeeded where many others failed, and for that reason, I'd call This Is the End a great film. It was also a box office success, so I sincerely hope Seth Rogen and company continue to make movies like this. Just get more Jason Segel in the next one.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 8



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Knocked Up, The 40 Year-Old Virgin, Pineapple Express, Your Highness, Superbad, Observe and Report