006. Review - This is The End

Columbia Pictures

Ensemble comedies are a staple of the genre, from classics like It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World to recent fare like Bridesmaids.  It’s always great to see comedians riffing off of each other, building jokes to heights that couldn’t have been reached with one man or woman alone.  Such is the case with the new action comedy This is The End, starring Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, James Franco, Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson, and Danny McBride as a group of friends struggling to survive as the world teeters on the brink of apocalypse.  The concept is taken a few steps further here, however, as each of the actors play exaggerated versions of themselves, holed up in James Franco’s art deco house in the middle of a burning Los Angeles.  At first glance, This is The End might seem like a punchline taken to feature film length, but it rises high above expectations thanks to a fantastic cast and nearly non-stop laughs.

The film is the directorial debut for Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, the team behind Superbad and Pineapple Express.  Over the past six years the duo, especially Rogen in his many movie roles, have cultivated a particular brand of stoner comedy, a laid back approach that where the jokes laze in and just keep on rolling, sometimes to the point of ludicrousness.  That kind of humor, dick jokes and weed jokes alike, is abound in This is The End, so if you enjoyed any of Rogen’s previous work this film is exactly what you’re looking for.  The celebrity self-awareness adds another dimension, especially during the opening party sequence / carnage festival at James Franco’s house.  While there are some that portray themselves fairly evenhandedly, like Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Rihanna, there are others, like a coked-out windbreaker-wearing Michael Cera, that play up the concept of the uber-jerkass celebrity lifestyle.  The biggest draw of the film is its leading players, all working together as one comedic superforce.  Any movie would be lucky to have two or three of these guys, but having all six of them on screen creates an unmatchable quotient of hilarity, really living up to the phrase “laugh a minute”.  While there are standouts here, particularly Danny McBride as an unrepentant asshole, everyone gets their own scenes, their moments to shine, meaning that the film’s few lulls only last for a minute or two before the laughs start back up again.

This is The End actually serves as an adaptation of Rogen and Goldberg’s 2007 short film Jay and Seth versus the Apocalypse, which starred Rogen and Baruchel as themselves hiding in their apartment during the apocalypse.  The feature film expands greatly on that premise, giving us not only a tour of Franco’s mansion but a look outside its walls.  The visual effects, from a hellish LA landscape to demon hounds and a monster of a finale, are certainly not James Cameron level but impressive considering the film’s $30 million budget; much worse comedies have been made on five times this movie’s cost.  In addition to the visual expansion, the film also successfully moves beyond its basic “celebrities during the apocalypse” conceit to deliver a surprisingly heartwarming story about friendship and what it means to be a good person, anchored by the relationship between Seth Rogen and Jay Baruchel.  Although the latter is arguably the straight man of the six man ensemble, their bond both as actual actors and their movie selves is strong enough to carry the film all the way to its climax, which might be one of the best third acts to a comedy in years.  The film has all the laughs, but it has a great amount of heart as well.

Overall, This is The End is a shining example of the phrase “It’s so crazy, it just might work.”  What could’ve been a one-note joke stretched out across an hour and a half ends up becoming quite possibly the year’s best comedy.  The chemistry between the six main actors is fantastic, the design of the demon-infested Los Angeles defies its low budget, and once the jokes start rolling, they don’t let up until the end credits roll.  Of all the film’s selling points, that last one is probably the most important; this movie doesn’t just make you chuckle a few times, nor is it a simple “you’ve gotta see it for this one part” scenario, but just consistently delivers hilarious scene after hilarious scene with an ease that is almost unfair.  From quick sight gags to extended conversations to the concept itself, it pulls out all the stops.  To borrow from the old adage, if you see one comedy film this year, make sure you go out and see This is The End.

Grade: A-