Tell me a story

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: If I could be friends with any celebrity, I’d be friends with Seth Rogen. He seems so down-to-earth and laid back. I think it would be really easy to get along with him. We’d have some good laughs and some fun conversations. Our banter would be amazing! So if anyone reading this knows Seth and wants to introduce us, go ahead and drop me a line. And never ever show him this review. It might make our impending best friendship a teeny bit awkward. Speaking of reviews…

This Is the End opens with Jay Baruchel (played by Jay Baruchel) arriving in Los Angeles to bro out with his buddy Seth Rogen (played by Seth Rogen) for a few days. At Seth’s house they proceed to enjoy a charming spread of junk food, pot and video games, until Seth suggests they go to James Franco’s housewarming party. The problem here is that Jay doesn’t really like hanging out with Hollywood celebrities. They’re all so pretentious and phony. That’s one of the reasons he rarely visits L.A. But how can you say no to Seth, that teddy bear of a man? So the two buddies go to Franco’s house, and wouldn’t you know it, the Rapture happens while they’re there.

But before he has to cope with the end of civilized world, Jay has to endure being in a house with James Franco, Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson, Danny McBride, not to mention Kevin Hart, Aziz Ansari, Jason Segel, Mindy Kaling, Michael Cera, Emma Watson, Christopher Mint Plasse, Martin Starr and more. Oh the horrors! I’m sure most people watching this movie would trade places with Jay in a heartbeat to be around that much funny. And he would have been just as happy to trade places with them. It should almost be a relief for him when a pit to Hell opens up on Franco’s front lawn and devours many of those celebs. It’s not, of course. Jay is just as afraid and horrified and confused as everyone else.

Jay, Seth, James, Craig, Jonah and Danny end up barricading themselves in Franco’s house to avoid the horrors taking place outside. What a brilliant idea it was to bottle these characters in one location. It gives these tremendously funny actors a chance to just interact with each other, and that’s when they’re at their funniest. So much of the comedy in this movie stems organically from their conversations. In one scene James and Danny get into an argument that’s as filthy as it gets, and it’s just side-splitting. There’s a scene that killed me where James repeats the same line several times in a row. These guys have such good chemistry together that they can just riff and it’s hilarious.

Uh oh. Something scary is happening.

It helps that Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg wrote the script. They probably know better than anyone how to capture their friends’ voices. They also know how to put together a script that combines comedy, action and heart. (See Pineapple Express or The Green Hornet for further proof) Not only is This Is the End very funny, but there’s a good smattering of emotion in the relationship between Seth and Jay. The trailers make it seem as if the movie is just about this group of celebrities who get stuck in James Franco’s house during the apocalypse, but it’s really about these two friends who’ve recently found themselves growing apart and then get stuck at James Franco’s house during the apocalypse. As the world crumbles into darkness around them, the subject of their own eroding relationship comes out into the light. The relationship between all of the guys gets explored in some fashion, and there are more tensions than most of them probably realized. Nothing like the end of the world for people to show their true colors. The movie manages to address these tensions in a way that’s as cathartic as it is comedic.

Michael Cera is a bad ass?

It’s hard to leave this movie and not wonder how true to themselves everyone was. Danny McBride’s version of himself makes Kenny Powers look like your best friend’s grandfather sitting on the porch on a warm summer’s evening. Michael Cera steals the early party scenes by being so unlike the sweet, skittish Michael Cera we’ve come to know and adore. I think that’s a major appeal of the movie. It gives you a fun, even if staged, peak into the inside of young, funny Hollywood. When we witness Craig Robinson improvising a song on a keyboard and then the whole room singing with him, we wonder if that kind of thing happens all the time. When we see Christopher Mint Plasse and Jonah Hill  having a regular conversation, we realize that they don’t spend all their time saying stuff like “Remember when you got a fake I.D. that said McLovin” (because in my head that’s all they must talk about). Having everyone play themselves was this movie’s other brilliant move.

And whether it was all close to reality or all made up, we at least know these actors have a good sense of humor. They poke fun at themselves all movie long. If there’s any back-patting going on, I missed it. I think people who are already fans of Rogen and the Apatow movies will enjoy this one. It’s the funniest movie I’ve seen since last year’s 21 Jump Street (also starring Jonah Hill), and after only one viewing I throw this movie up there with Pineapple Express and Tropic Thunder as my favorite comedies of all time. I got to see this movie at an advanced screening, and from the moment I left the theater I knew I’d want to see it again when it’s released nationwide on June 12th. I want to relive all the ha-ha’s I had and also contribute some dollars to the people involved. It’s the least I can do for all the enjoyment I got out of it.

My Rating

This Is the End
Directors: Evan Goldberg, Seth Rogen
Writers: Evan Goldberg, Seth Rogen (Together: Da Ali G Show [TV], Superbad, Pineapple Express, The Green Hornet, The Watch)