Seth Rogen, James Franco and their friends get big laughs by just being themselves.
by Kevin TallThe following review has been approved for immature audiences by the Creative Loafing Tampa Movie Critics Authority. The film reviewed has been rated 3 stars and may contain: violence, language, demonic possession, rampant drug use, threats of a jizz fight, Canadians and Michael Cera on the receiving end of a Lady and the Tramp. Viewer discretion is advised and may God have mercy on your soul.
This is the End is a stoner bromance of biblical proportions, as Jay Baruchel, Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, James Franco, Danny McBride and Craig Robinson attempt to survive the apocalypse — and each other.
Poor Jay Baruchel. Not only is he less successful and well known than some of his fellow Canadian comedic actors, he is growing apart from pal Seth Rogen. Rogen has made the move from the Great White North down to Hell.A. and become part of a posse, which includes the likes of James Franco, Jonah Hill, Danny McBride (kinda) and Craig Robinson as the token black guy. Jay doesn’t quite fit in with Seth’s new crew, despite everyone’s shared affinity for drugs, so you know he’s in for a shitty night when, whilst visiting his BFF, Rogen drags him to a party at Franco’s palatial pad.
The Canadians make their entrance at Franco’s fortress, right down the way from Channing Tatum — who makes a more-than-memorable cameo — creating the handsomest block in Hollywood. Let the awkwardness commence: Franco can’t remember Jay’s first name and Hill is clearly pouring it on thick in an effort to bridge the gap. Jay heads out for a smoke and runs into Michael Cera snorting blow out McLovin’s (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) mustache. Fish-out-of-water Jay and Rogen make a convenience store run and shit gets unreal: some of the other patrons disappear in beams of blue light. Of course, trapped under debris from the accompanying quake, Rogen doesn’t see it, making for more awkwardness back at the party. Oh shit, they definitely felt that quake. Soon, the Earth opens up and the city burns and Jay’s thoughts on the rapture don’t sound so funny; but that’s just the beginning.
This is the End features a bunch of famous stoners doing their regular thing for their regular audience. It also details how shitty friends can be in times of extreme stress/apocalypse. While there are moments of pure hilarity, it also drags a bit and some of the better jokes are muddled in the usual shtick. This film is the directorial debut of Rogen-serial-collaborator Evan Goldberg — who’s had a hand in making many of the movies starring any combination of the main cast — which explains some of the clunkiness, pace-wise.
Baruchel, Rogen, Franco, Hill, McBride and Robinson all play exaggerated caricatures of themselves. The dynamic between Baruchel and Rogen and its manufactured awkwardness is what keeps the film going. Each cast member makes at least one successful big gag and the plentiful cameos pick up a bit of the slack.
Take This is the End for what it is: a great opportunity to lose your shit over a bunch of soft, actor-stoners trying to survive the end of the world. It’s good for plenty of laughs but if it’s not your thing, it’s not the end of the world; hold out for Simon Pegg’s The World’s End later this summer.