This is the End
I really don’t know what to make of Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s “This is the End.” This is one of those films that really determines on a lot factors to succeed, and even if they do during this film, that doesn’t necessarily mean the film works as a whole.
The movie Rogen and Goldberg have concocted is a movie based around two, central conceits: 1) the actors at its center are playing fictional versions of themselves, and 2) the apocalypse, in all it’s Revelation-esque glory, is upon them. How each one plays into the other is part of the film’s appeal. There’s also an intriguing look at the nature of friendships, not only the ones we’ve sustained all our lives, but the ones we find ourselves drawn into, and the way that Rogen and Goldberg develop that is probably the best part of the entire film.
After starting this review on something of a tear, I’ve found myself figuring out how to continue it. On the one hand, there IS a lot to discuss about it, such as: Jonah Hill’s self-important playing of himself; a hilariously uncomfortable scene with the celebrity survivors (Rogen, Hill, James Franco, Craig Robinson, Danny McBride, and Jay Baruchel) discussing not raping Emma Watson when she comes to find safe haven during the end-of-the-world; the surprises in store when Rogen and Baruchel come across a barbaric bunch of cannibals; and a discussion surrounding a Milky Way bar that is the peak of celebrity not-picking. On the other hand, I can’t say I feel so passionate about the film where I feel like diving into the movie on a deeper level, especially having seen a couple of films since this one of which I have plenty to discuss. As enjoyable as it was, “This is the End” is too loose, and devolves a little too much into anarchy, to hit my funnybone quite as much as Rogen and Goldberg’s “Pineapple Express,” my favorite film they’ve written, did. Oddly enough, “Express” is partly responsible for another wonderful sequence in the new movie, and it’s probably the moment that plays truest as to what this film represents for it’s maker- a chance to do something for themselves. And if others enjoy the fruits of their labors, all the better. In the end, I did.
