Much has been said in the press about "This is the End,"
but nothing could prepare for this one shocking twist: the star of the movie is actually Jay Baruchel. While his leading role in "Undeclared" might not have
helped, perhaps this will finally give him the recognition he deserves as an actor.
"This is the End" is a Hollywood satire where all of the
actors play themselves. That would seem incredibly self-congratulatory, if it
wasn't for the fact that the actors don't try and make themselves look like
saints. The film begins as Seth Rogen walks through an airport to meet his best
friend Jay Baruchel. Seth is accosted by a man with a camera (who I assume is
from TMZ). The man asks Seth why he plays himself in every movie he's in. Rogen
co-wrote the film, and is clearly aware of what people think of him, as does
everyone else involved.
In the film, Seth and Jay's relationship is based off of them
drifting apart. Seth has new friends now, and Jay wonders whether or not he is
still in the picture. This is the same separation anxiety that made
up "Superbad," another film that was co-written by Rogen and his best
friend Evan Goldberg. Every film they write together also serves to show how
their friendship grows and changes. In a film that contains a lot of false
perceptions, the truest part of it is this friendship.
Seth and Jay's first stop is James Franco's house. Here, Franco is
as weird and artsy as everyone thinks he is. However, he's
more obsessed with Seth Rogen than he is with himself. It's equal
parts creepy and hilarious. Franco is both earnest and funny all while being a
huge dicknose. Who knew someone could show such range while playing themselves?
While Rogen and Goldberg are pro writers, “This is the End” is
their first stab at directing. The two blend together as directors as well as
they do as writers, which is why it always seems like a singular vision. The
two of them strongly embrace buildup. The apocalypse doesn’t happen for a
little while, which provides plenty of time to understand Jay and Seth’s
friendship as well as both of their relationships to everyone else around them.
It is in this time period where the film truly gets its heart. Action films,
comedies, and well, most films in general could learn a lot Rogen and Goldberg:
it’s good to know the characters before you let the bodies hit the floor.
“This is the End” is a great Inside Hollywood comedy because it never
goes meta. It’s less about the wink and more about the inviting nod. For every
joke about “Flyboys,” there is also an extended riff about Danny McBride’s use
of James Franco’s bathtub. In fact, by making a bunch of celebrities face the
apocalypse, the film shows that they aren’t that special after all. What also keeps
“This is the End” from becoming too much of an in-joke is how carefully crafted
all of these fictitious personas are. Clearly Michael Cera doesn’t treat
Rihanna like that. I’ll have to get back to you on James Franco’s weird taste
in art.
At a time when Hollywood is creepily obsessed with the end of the
world (see: “Oblivion,” “After Earth”*), it is refreshing to see a film that doesn’t take
ridiculous apocalyptic scenarios so seriously. Yet, Rogen and Goldberg still
manage to lay out all of the rules of this new world with so much detail. And
the vision is so inspired. Just take the demons: they look exactly like the
beasts from “Ghostbusters,” but with one major exception (you’ll understand when
you see it).
“This is the End” clocks in at just under two hours and the length
feels neither too long nor too short. In terms of its characters, it gets
nearly as much done in that running time as any season of any TV show. Plain
and simple: this is high concept comedy at its absolute best.
*Actually, don’t see “Oblivion” or “After Earth”
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