This Is The End is ballsy, profane, violent, and hilarious

It’s no surprise humanity is obsessed with the end of the world. After all, one thing we all have in common is that we don’t know the future except that eventually all things end. Religions have come up with Armageddons and Apocalypses since stories were told, about the world in ice or fire or water, about doom or about triumph. Hope is easier to swallow by most, but sometimes life was harsh and people were cynical. Science has thoughts about the end of time, but other than the sun eventually expanding and destroying the Earth and the eventual heat death of the universe, there are no real assurances there either. And if we gotta go, what’s the harm in enjoying ourselves a bit before then?

This Is The End is the latest in a line of works from collaborators and writer-directors Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen (they also did Pineapple Express and Superbad, for example). Forget about The Green Hornet and The Watch, both were not good. This movie, though is great — but it ain’t for kids. Seth Rogen stars as Seth Rogen, a vaguely Seth Rogen-ish character living in LA with many of his movie star friends (but no wife or kids, that would make things too complicated for this sort of film). He is among many in this movie playing versions of themselves, but everything is loosely based on reality and then ramped up to be a more interesting character for a story. Seth is a bit of selfish jerk and obsessed with drugs, while his old friend from Canada, Jay Baruchel (Jay Baruchel), is sick of the LA scene and Seth’s new friends. Other relevant friends are pretentious James Franco (played by James Franco, although I think his brother Dave Franco could’ve pulled it off), condescending and suspiciously nice Jonah Hill (Jonah Hill), and emotional Craig Robinson (Craig Robinson, of course).

Oh and then there’s Danny McBride (in the part he was born to play), but that comes a bit later. The movie is simple; while Seth is hosting friend Jay from Canada, they all go to James Franco’s housewarming party with a bunch of their celebrity pals and gals. And then the Apocalypse arrives, forcing the four to hole up in James’ house with only minimal food and water. They bicker and worry about the end of days, wondering about their future and their past, and Danny McBride wakes up to shake things up further. Some of the particulars of the religious connotations are fairly simplistic, but it really doesn’t need to be anything more. Here it’s all about decency and redemption; can these guys escape the end of the world with their lives or souls intact? It’s shocking how much you’ll be invested in the character arcs of celebrities playing versions of themselves. Sure, the humor gets over the top, vulgar, and at times questionable. But it’s damn funny. And there are some surprising and hilarious cameos, none of which I’ll spoil for you. Let’s just say there was one in particular that had the audience gasping or chortling in delight. Sometimes I find some of the sort of “bro” or “stoner” comedy movies tiresome or unfunny, with characters wearing out their welcome fast. Other times it’s just a particular recurring way an actor is cast; Melissa McCarthy comes to mind, or even Danny McBride from the stupid Your Highness. But this time, I really bought into the story, stupid and ludicrous it might have been; it’s just one of those movies that ends with you feeling good and a big smile on your face.

So ignore the dystopian tragedies out there and watch something enjoyable for once. The end of the world has finally turned into something amusing for the whole family (excluding children, for obvious reasons).