MOVIE REVIEW - This Is The End

In a modern day Hollywood sense, the new comedy This Is The End has a ton of stars in it.  It's just the latest in "Buddy Comedies," that overall is squarely targeting teen boys about 17 years old in its subject manner. 

There will be others outside of that age group that will think this is real funny, and some of it really is.  But this movie is the microcosm of the ever changing landscape of what we, the movie going public think is funny.   Up front, if you don't think that 2 hours of the f-word, and an amazing amount of referencing male body parts and their function is funny, then this is not your movie.   To an extraordinary degree, an amazing amount of people must.   Many people think that we have been on a path for years now, that virtually all movies are made for 18 year old boys.  But that just might be accurate.

Seth Rogen wrote this movie that stars himself, Michael Cera, James Franco, Jonah Hill, Danny McBride, Jay Baruchel, Craig Robinson, and somehow, Emma Watson got dragged into this.   What this is, is a big-time parody on the actors themselves, as they play themselves in this spoof on Hollywood, the culture and the perceptions we have on them.   In this movie, our out of control, drug using, hard partying troupe suddenly is facing the apocalypse, and the rapture.  As in the Biblical rapture, as the end of days happens in Hollywood.

Of course our stars have no real idea what any of this is, and at first that is part of the fun.  There are some very funny exchanges in this movie between our characters about themselves, their lifestyle, and their ignorance regarding what is playing out right in front of them.  Because of who and what they are, they have to "earn" their way into the rapture, or live out their days in hell on earth. There is some real humor here that is worth laughing at. But then there's the rest of this.

This slowly denigrates itself into an insanely immature comedy where the subject of all the jokes becomes a combination of male body parts, and whatever else they could make fun of that has a junior high locker room mentality to it.  And it's complete with visuals too.   I love an edgy comedy as much as anyone, but selling out to what you know will make 17 year old boys giggle is borderline pathetic, and very easy.

But we have to branch out, and think that they have tapped into something greater.  The movie makers completely understand that immaturity is not contained to just that group of viewers.  When in fact the maturity level of many, seems to be stretching well into people into adulthood.  Seth Rogen and his troupe think this is funny, as they are all 30 plus.   It's sad that they can't be more creative from start to finish. This was a pretty funny idea that got a bit off track,sells out, and becomes something else.  There is some good humor in parts here.

It also amazes me too, what actors are willing to do and say on camera for all to see forever, that takes shows a serious lack of personal dignity.  Should be noted that this movie also has two recently Oscar nominated actors in it, with James Franco and Jonah Hill.  Might be time to up your game boys, or be less than you can be.  

This Is The End.   This is a heavy R rated movie, with a lot of recreational drug use, seriously bad language, and plenty of crude sexual references.  Some of this is really works, but much of this does not.