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How entertaining? ★★★★☆
Thought provoking? ★★☆☆☆ 1 June 2013
This article is a review of THIS IS THE END.
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“We’re actors, we pretend to be hard man, we’re soft as baby sh*t!” Craig Robinson
Welcome to humour as war: the sheer barrage of comedians and gags trump an uneven pace. Imagine a cross between the films of Robert Altman, CABIN IN THE WOODS and PINEAPPLE EXPRESS. A second view will decide on potential future comedy classic status. The pseudo home movie is back in fashion, two get released in June, the other is Joss Whedon’s MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING. Here, THIS IS THE END is a showcase for the cream of the vanguard of America’s new wave of comics. From Michael Cera and Aziz Ansari to Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Jason Segel, and they are just the cameos. The meat of the apocalypse-horror-comedy comes from a sextet that has made a name to varying degrees.
Welcome to humour as war: the sheer barrage of comedians and gags trump an uneven pace. Imagine a cross between the films of Robert Altman, CABIN IN THE WOODS and PINEAPPLE EXPRESS. A second view will decide on potential future comedy classic status. The pseudo home movie is back in fashion, two get released in June, the other is Joss Whedon’s MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING. Here, THIS IS THE END is a showcase for the cream of the vanguard of America’s new wave of comics. From Michael Cera and Aziz Ansari to Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Jason Segel, and they are just the cameos. The meat of the apocalypse-horror-comedy comes from a sextet that has made a name to varying degrees.
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Everyone plays versions of himself or herself. Our entry into this world of the young Hollywood elite, is a visiting Jay Baruchel staying at best mate Seth Rogen’s pad. After smoking some drugs, eating a lot of junk food and playing computer games, Rogen drags a reluctant Baruchel to James Franco’s new mini-mansion for a house party. Baruchel is not a fan of the L.A. set; the supposedly emotional element comes from these two friends losing touch with one another. It’s not particularly satisfying, and is perhaps a tool to get some audience empathy for normalcy. The rest of the shindig though, and film for that matter, is made up of narcissists, sociopaths and egomaniacs.
Making their directorial debut, after writing the likes of SUPERBAD and THE GREEN HORNET, Rogen and teammate Evan Goldberg should’ve had more confidence in their leads and just gone ultra-obnoxious. They almost do to be fair. Their preoccupation with bromances though is starting to get a little thin, drama coming from the rom-com formula of conflict and resolution. But don’t worry, that only makes up a small percentage of the runtime. The rest is similar to Seth Macfarlane’s TED – a boatload of douche bags rubbing up against each other.
As the beginning of the end of the world commences, most of the party is wiped out, leaving Danny McBride, Craig Robinson, Jonah Hill, Rogen, Baruchel and Franco holed up in the latter’s crumbling abode. Amid the bickering, they make a stab at understanding what’s happening around them. The last half-hour of THIS IS THE END shifts into another gear, upping the effects, action and carnage. The quip rate is kept high throughout. The more aware you are of the ensemble’s body of work, the more you’ll get from it. Some might complain we’re in OCEAN’S 12 territory, i.e. a smug love-in, and shame on those naysayers too; OCEAN’S 12 is actually the best of the trilogy – self-aware, as well as subverting convention, and a cineaste’s Christmas.
If awards are being given out, McBride, Robinson and Cera take a bow.
“It’s too late for you, you’re already in the hole,” Craig Robinson
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