This is the End
Starring: Seth Rogen, James Franco, Jay Baruchel, Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson, Danny McBride, Michael Cera, Emma Watson, Mindy Kaling, David Krumholtz, Christopher-Mintz Plasse, Jason Segel, Paul Rudd, Rhianna, Channing Tatum, Kevin Hart, Aziz Ansari
Directed by: Evan Goldberg & Seth Rogen
Rated: R
Run Time: 107 mins
Genre: Comedy/ Action/ Horror
Opens June 12th
By Lisa Minzey of The Reel Critic.com
Hey Phoenix film fans! Opening midweek is the comedy “This is the End” starring James Franco, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, Jonah Hill, Danny McBride, and Craig Robinson. Bringing the gang together from films such as “Pineapple Express” or any Apatow film or TV show over the last decade, this film is more like a gathering of friends just screwing around with a movie camera, but will “This is the End” be able to live up to the hype?
When a quick weekend getaway for Jay Baruchel (self), turns into a living nightmare, what better way to go through the end of the world than with a bunch of actor friends? Playing somewhat “exaggerated” versions of their real life personas, Seth Rogen and Jay go to a party at James Franco’s new house. When Jay and Seth arrive, the party is in full swing, and it’s a who's-who of the comedy circle as party guests. Jay has never fully integrated into the L.A. group of actors that Seth has joined, feels uncomfortable and sulks off in the corner smoking. After a while, Jay wants to leave, but gets Seth to join him in a cigarette run when strange natural occurrences start happening. When they get back to James’s house, no one knows what has happened, continues to party until a massive earthquake effectively ends the festivities, swallowing half the guests.
The remaining party goers; Franco, Hill, Rogen, Baruchel and Robinson now have to figure out what is going on, either wait for the authorities to arrive and rescue them or perish a long painful death from starvation. Will they be able to make it or is it truly the end for this group of friends?
“This is the End” is one of those screwball comedies that looks really awful during the trailers, but surprisingly a lot of fun to watch. I actually jumped out of my seat three times during the film which is unusual for this genre. More horror/comedy than a horror movie “This is the End” may pleasantly surprise even the harshest critics of this bunch of actors with all the goofy laughs silly pranks and juvenile jokes that one would expect from a Seth Rogen/James Franco/Jonah Hill type movie. Normally when each of the aforementioned actors tries to carry a film on his own (cough, Seth Rogen, cough), the film’s charm and appeal suffers severely as the personality/ shtick leans towards the abrasive side. That changes for the better when put in an ensemble piece such as this where each actor is just a sampling of their talent and humor balances perfectly. Of course, there is plenty of jokes regarding bodily fluids emissions, phallic symbols, drugs and alcohol; would you expect anything less? The apocalypse doesn't look so bleak while you're a Hollywood star as James Franco, Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen, Craig Robinson, Danny McBride and Jay Baruchel show in this film. This film packs a lot of cameos into about 15 minutes of frames so keep an open eye for your favorite comedian, ranging from Jason Segal, Aziz Ansari, David Krumholz and Emma Watson and much more. Michael Cera makes an appearance as a surprising spoof on himself which is actually really really hilarious. Check out “This is the End” when it opens in theaters starting Wednesday June 12, 2013.
