I'm annoyed with myself for not reviewing This Is the End sooner, because it's the funniest effing movie I've seen in the past couple years and I want everyone who reads this to see it immediately!
This Is the End is the perfect combination of raunchy and self-aware humor that we've come to expect from movies like Hot Tub Time Machine and Pineapple Express. Such films have something for everyone: the philistines among us can appreciate the endless dick jokes while the Hollywood buffs appreciate the clever riffs and throwbacks to the film genres that paved the way for these movies. And anyone with a sentimental side can feel satisfied that many of these movies have an essentially good heart: they're about friends, family, following your dreams, getting a second chance, etc.
This Is the End takes this kind of humor to it's next logical self-aware step. The actors play versions of themselves and are very willing to mock or twist their own public persona. For example, many references are made to James Franco's supposed bi- (or homo-) sexuality. There are jokes about Seth Rogen's "annoying laugh" and Jay Baruchel's relative lack of fame compared to his Hollywood buddies. So, half the jokes will only make sense if you not only know who these people are, but are pretty familiar with their work. Hell, the characters even make a homemade Pineapple Express 2 at one point--a joke that only works if you've actually seen Pineapple Express.
The film takes place at James Franco's (sadly, fictional) home. Jay Baruchel is visiting Seth Rogen for the weekend and gets dragged to a party at Franco's. The party is packed: Rihanna is there, as is Christopher Mintz-Plasse (aka McLovin), Michael Cera (playing a coke-snorting sociopathic version of himself), Emma Watson, Mindy Kaling, and Jonah Hill. When Jay and Seth go out to get more cigarettes, something terrifying happens: The Rapture.
Not just the apocalypse, mind you, but The Actual Rapture. As in, the Christian Rapture. As in, the "good" people get sucked up into Heaven and the bad people are left to suffer horrible deaths at the hands of demons. Perhaps needless to say, when Seth and Jay get back to Franco's, all the godless Hollywood heathens are still there, partying their asses off, and no one has been taken to Heaven.
But after a giant sinkhole appears in Franco's yard and most people at his party die, only five brave souls are left: Franco, Seth, Jay, Craig Robinson, and Jonah Hill. They must survive on the rations left over from the party (mostly booze) and fight both hell demons and a very surprising axe-wielding intruder.
What is most surprising (and probably most offensive to some) is the way This Is the End deals with the Christian religion. Trust me, the film is hardly a theological lecture, but it does show the characters reading James Franco's Bible (he has one?) in the search for clues about what's going on. And Franco delightfully explains the concept of the Holy Trinity by comparing it to Neapolitan ice cream.
Many people would consider the film's take on religion to be blasphemous, but I have a feeling those folks won't be checking out this movie anyway. When the characters discover that by being self-sacrificial and committing a truly selfless good deed they can also go to Heaven, it's a bit of a cheesy deus ex machina so that the characters can learn an important lesson about friendship before the end of the film. This view of Christianity is hardly theologically sound, but I didn't really get the impression that the filmmakers were trying to be hostile toward Christianity either. They seemed to be using Christianity and the Rapture as an absurd plot device to get laughs.
This Is the End has too many good jokes, hilarious twists, and delightful cameos to even hint at here. It's the funniest comedy I've seen since Bridesmaids and I can't recommend it enough. That said, if you're sensitive to crude humor or Christianity being mocked/exploited/misrepresented, you should pass on this one.
5 out of 5 stars
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