Actor Jay Baruchel arrives in Los Angeles, intent on spending the weekend with his old friend and comrade, fellow actor Seth Rogen. At first, the two enjoy a fun, quiet weed and video game-filled day together at the Knocked Up star's abode, but Rogen convinces the hesitant Baruchel to attend a housewarming party at the home of actor James Franco. While the celebration continues to spiral out of control and make Baruchel feel uneasy, things start to unravel and fall apart around the large city, leading to an earthquake and multiple disasters, which convinces several guests at the party that the end times may be upon us.
This one's trailers made me incredibly nervous. Sure, I love most of the cast involved, and the concept certainly isn't off-putting to a viewer like me, but the chances of This is the End turning into one giant in-joke or a large vanity project were incredibly high. For every Curb Your Enthusiasm, there's always going to be The Paul Reiser Show.
Surprisingly, the ninth collaborative effort from Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg (not counting their work on television shows like Da Ali G Show) does its job well of, you know, making you laugh and entertaining you for one hundred and seven minutes. There are moments where it ALMOST veers into vanity territory, but it manages to ground itself rather quickly, seemingly reminding itself that your goal is the greater amusement of millions, rather than a small handful. To quote an older classic, the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. I imagine it takes a special kind of chemistry to make your ninth time working together not completely boring, as they seem to rarely miss when working together. And before you mention The Green Hornet, keep in mind, I did say "rarely."
I imagine choosing who would be a more prominent and featured character in this film must've been a nightmare, either due to not wanting to play favorites, or perhaps due to certain actors and actresses not being available for extended periods of time. This is certainly the most amount of screen time you'll ever see from Jay Baruchel. Normally he's a background player, or the sidekick to the more successful and arguably more famous celebrity. Seth Rogen and James Franco do what they do, and the latter seems to be having a ball playing a more exaggerated and arrogant version of himself. Come to think of it, everyone is definitely playing an exaggerated version of themselves, though anyone who viewed the trailers beforehand could have told you this. Curiously, I would love to find out if Michael Cera is really a cocaine-addicted sex hound, or if Craig Robinson is the type of individual willing to drink his own urine if necessary. I was disappointed that Emma Watson's and Danny McBride's screen time isn't nearly as long as one would like (not a spoiler!), especially considering how many of the film's biggest laughs come from the latter. Speaking of laughs, this may have been the funniest I've seen Jonah Hill be in quite a long time, or at least since Get Him to the Greek. In the latter half of the movie, there are two scenes that parody Rosemary's Baby and The Exorcist which may be able to get laughs out of even the most hardened of comedy fans. I'd even go so far as to say it was his best comedic role since Superbad.
As I stated though, the film is far from some sort of comedic masterpiece. Some jokes elicit more chuckles than actual laughs, but very few parts flat out misfire. Even the random cameos pay off, especially one towards the end that will shock quite a number of younger females in the audience. Yes, cameos among a film with actors playing themselves. Quite silly and kind of asinine, I know. The film is also surprisingly bloody, which may upset those who can't stomach darker moments in their comedies, and the camera angles and techniques used during the apocalyptic scenes in the beginning can make some viewers feel disjointed.
This is the End does make for a good overall time in...no, I REFUSE to make that pun. I'll just say the film is quite amusing, it isn't too long, and if you can catch a matinee with some friends, you should have a good time. Oh, and the soundtrack is pretty darn awesome too, minus that terribly boring new Black Sabbath song played in the end credits.
That record, however, along with several 2013 releases, is subject for another post in the future.
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