This is the End

I saw this movie only because Man of Steel was sold out. I'm not really sure what I was thinking. Gross-out stoner comedies aren't my thing. There were funny parts, don't get me wrong. There was also a mind-boggling amount of drug use, and I just don't find drug abuse terribly funny. I did appreciate that in the only scene in which characters travel while clearly intoxicated, they had the decency to take a taxi.

There is a scene in this movie in which Seth Rogen and James Franco sit on a couch and brainstorm ideas for a sequel to Pineapple Express. It takes a couple of minutes total, and their ideas are pretty lame. That's how I imagine this movie came about. I imagine that Seth Rogen & co were sitting around, stoned, and someone said "Dude, we should make an end-of-the-world movie." Then someone else said "Yeah, and we'll play ourselves instead of playing characters. How awesome would that be?"

It's not really awesome. Some of the non-principal actors were really good sports about parodying themselves, but mostly it felt like a bunch of self-absorbed actors filming a supremely self-referential vanity project. The best things about this movie are the two cameos by Emma Watson. The house was pretty cool, too.

If you love Seth Rogen, then you will probably like this movie. If you have any idea who Jay Baruchel is, then you will definitely like this movie. If you're stoned off your ass, then you will either really like this movie or be permanently scarred by giant fiery penises. That's not actually a joke. It was pretty disturbing to see sober.

If, however, you are not already familiar with the principal actors and their previous movies, then you will miss a lot. Much of the humor relies on the audience's previous knowledge of the actors. The rest is drug references and dick jokes. Oh, and there is theoretically a plot, but it's so lame it's hardly worth mentioning. The apocalypse happens during James Franco's housewarming party, and lots of celebrities die (and presumably other people too). And the main characters bicker and make asses of themselves. That's about the extent of the plot, except for some half-baked religious crap.

Clearly, I'm not the target audience for this film. Just as clearly, there is a substantial target audience, since projections show the movie earning its entire budget in the opening weekend. Good for them, I suppose. And, as I said, I got some laughs out of it. Hopefully, though, the next time I think I want to see a Seth Rogen movie I will remember this experience, and do something else instead.

1. Now You See Me
2. Star Trek: Into Darkness
3. Oblivion
4. Iron Man 3
5. Jack the Giant Slayer
6. Beautiful Creatures
7. Oz the Great and Powerful
8. Epic
9. G.I. Joe: Retaliation
10. Hansel and Gretel, Witch Hunters
11. The Great Gatsby
12. This is the End