This Is the End

2013 apocalyptic comedy

Rating: 12/20 (Jen: 2/20)

Plot: It looks like it's the titular end for everybody, including some of Hollywood's most beloved comedic actors. A few of James Franco's buddies try to survive as the apocalypse rages outside.

As you probably know, I'm all about the special effects. And the special effects in this movie were terrible. I mean, James Franco didn't even look real. I like Franco just fine, but there are times when I'm convinced he's just not a very good actor at all. He's sometimes too manic and wide-eyed, and that's definitely the case there. It's still kind of fun watching him in his unbridled, manic state though, and it's obvious that he's having a good time making this after several years of more serious acting gigs. I don't mind Seth Rogen either although I also don't think he's a great talent. I do mind Jonah Hill, and I've never been able to articulate why. It might be his first name, his voice, his face. It might be that he's just not doing enough nude scenes. Jay Baruchel, Craig Robinson (a black man), and Danny McBride round out the main crew with the latter probably getting out the funniest lines. The funniest parts of all are provided by Michael Cera, poking holes in his own image, going places where no Michael Cera has gone before. A cameo by Emma Watson is a welcomed sight later on, especially since the thing had turned into a real sausage fest. And speaking of sausage, that's really what this movie is about. It's improv comedy, the only kind of comedy that could have made this work at all. And the fellows are all good at that sort of thing except when you've got a group of guys together just riffing, there's really only one thing that it can evolve into--an endless stream of references to male genitalia. And that's really what happens here after a while. They get lost, run out of ideas, and go straight to the penis because penises are apparently always funny. I swear there's one scene in this where they're sitting around a fire in James Franco's living room and just taking turns saying the word "Penis!" in different ways. So while this movie starts out funny and fresh, it really loses steam by the end and kind of sputters on and on. And it ends with one of those boy bands from the 90's in a gag that just seems like the cheapest tacked-on gag in the history of movie comedy. I'm not completely unhappy that I watched this (Jen was) but it's nothing I'd ever watch again. At least there shouldn't be a sequel.