This Is The End Review

Director: Evan Goldberg, Seth Rogen.

Starring: Jay Baruchel, Seth Rogen, James Franco, Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson, Michael Cera, Emma Watson, Danny McBride.

Runtime: 107 minutes.

Synopsis: Jay Baruchel pays a visit to Seth Rogen in LA, who drags him along to a party at James Franco’s house. But just when Jay decides it’s time to leave, the ground opens up, the sky starts falling and all hell breaks loose.

While you may be familiar with actors playing cameo versions of themselves in TV shows (Wil Wheaton in THE BIG BANG THEORY, Carl Weathers in ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT), you may not be so familiar with the concept of every single actor in a film playing an exaggerated version of themselves. It screams self-indulgence, and it’s difficult to imagine how THIS IS THE END, which employs precisely this narrative device, could avoid such a label. And yet, it just about manages it. It’s hard to pin down why exactly, with the script treading a fine line in parts, but co-writers/directors Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg play everything lightly enough that we’re more than happy to sit back for the ride. And of course, it helps that the ride itself is so enjoyable.

The premise is simple enough; Hollywood’s comedy A-listers are having a good old-fashioned knees-up at James Franco’s house, when all of a sudden the apocalypse occurs. Thankfully, THIS IS THE END manages to set itself apart from the usual comedy output of those involved by poking fun at, well, those involved, rather than teenagers or pregnancy or drug culture or pornography or… the list of topics previously covered by the Rogen-crowd goes on and on, so it’s remarkable how fresh THIS IS THE END feels.

Still, in attempting to play exaggerated versions of themselves, most of the cast have ended up simply portraying the characters they usually do in these kinds of films, with the notable exception of Michael Cera, who provides plenty of laughs in the opening scenes in a major departure from his previous roles. Danny McBride perhaps epitomises the aforementioned point most well, once again playing the jerk that nobody really likes – he shows up to Franco’s party uninvited. This often makes THIS IS THE END feel like it’s succumbing to typical character traits in some respects.

This is only a minor niggle, though, in a film that has more than its fair share of laugh-out-loud moments, and an ending that really needs to be seen to be believed. The trailers have perhaps done THIS IS THE END something of a disservice in this respect, giving away glimpses of its final hand before you allow yourself to be lulled into a sense of security that the film won’t push the boundaries that most others shy away from. But even if you don’t go in blind, THIS IS THE END is still the most fun you’ll have at the cinema all year.

THIS IS THE END is released in UK cinemas today.