Take one part "2012," one part "Superbad", stir and you have "This is the End." Written and directed by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg (the same duo who wrote "Superbad"), "This is the End" serves up a constant stream of laughs despite its ridiculous plot.
Admittedly "This is the End" feels like it came out about a year too late. The apocalyptic plot that forces Jay Baruchel, Seth Rogen, Craig Robinson, Jonah Hill, James Franco and Danny McBride, all playing over-the-top versions of themselves, to come together in friendship, seems better suited to a time before the Mayan calendar came to an end.
This is probably the only quibble to the summer’s first “no pee” film, a film whose success comes from both the cast’s terrific comedic efforts and the story’s similarities to 2007’s "Superbad." Just as Evan (Michael Cera) and Seth (Jonah Hill) grew stronger as friends through the adversity of attempting to score booze and get laid, Jay Baruchel and Seth Rogen find their friendship tested in the adversity of the apocalypse. It sounds stupid, but somehow it works.
If "Superbad" appealed to your inner-teenager, then "This is the End" will appeal to your inner- paparazzo. A solid chunk of laughs comes from the film’s awareness of its cast’s past accomplishments and failures within Hollywood. Multiple cameo performances only add to the film’s humor.
Of course, this humor may not appeal to all viewers. "This is the End" is crude and it requires some awareness of Hollywood gossip to be fully appreciated. For those viewers their money may be better spent on a film like "Man of Steel"; however for fans of comedies like "Superbad" and/or "Pineapple Express," "This is the End" won’t disappoint. Take it from me, the guy who stayed in his seat for the entirety of the movie’s one-hour and 47-minute runtime.
Like many of you, I love a good movie. Unfortunately, I have a very small bladder. It’s a genetic abnormality: my dad has a small bladder, his dad had a small bladder and my kid will probably have a small bladder. Thus, without further ado, allow me to introduce you to my patent-pending bathroom break movie rating system, also known as the pee score. A great movie will keep me in my seat no matter how badly I have to pee. A good movie generally results in me leaving my seat once to use the restroom, a mediocre movie will usually cause me to find an excuse to hit the head twice, and a terrible movie generally causes me to find the restroom at least three different times. Though the pee score generally correlates to the overall quality of a film, there are exceptions to every rule – so don’t just look at the number of samples attached to this review, be sure to read my words as well to get the real scoop on the latest movies coming out in Gainesville’s theatres.
