A group of celebs are trapped in James Franco's house during the apocalypse.
Directed by: Evan Goldberg, Seth Rogen
Starring: James Franco, Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, Emma Watson, Michael Cera, Jason Segel, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Jay Baruchel, Mindy Kaling, Craig Robinson, Martin Starr, Danny McBride, Aziz Ansari
Jay Baruchel arrives in L.A to spend time with his friend, Seth Rogen. The pair attend a party in James Franco's lavish Hollywood home, where Baruchel becomes uncomfortable as Rogen ditches him for his new celeb buddies. During the night, a large tremor occurs, which the party-goers presume to be just another Californian earthquake. Venturing outside to investigate, they witness the city becoming engulfed in flames. When the earth literally opens up under their feet, most of the revelers are sucked down into hell itself, leaving a handful of survivors shacked up inside Franco's home.
So this is the end? Well, it just may be the end times as far as Hollywood comedies are concerned. With '
Movie 43', '
21 & Over' and '
The Hangover Part III', 2013 has been something of an apocalypse for American big-screen humor and this egotistical vanity project does nothing to buck the trend. It may be high on celebs but it's low on laughs. If you thought the apocalyptic survivors of last year's '
The Divide' were a tough bunch to like, Rogen and company give them a serious run for their money. These "comedians" treat us to nearly two hours of the sort of juvenile humor a 14-year-old would have outgrown.
Ever since Mike Tyson appeared in 'The Hangover', the celeb cameo has become a staple of Hollywood comedies. 'This is the End' takes the concept to the max; the entire film is essentially one long celeb cameo. It even has its own surprise cameo, featuring one of Hollywood's current biggest actors, who really should know better. The performers obviously aren't too confident in their celeb status as they constantly address each other by their first and last names, just in case we're unsure who exactly these C-graders are. The film-makers seem to think simply playing themselves somehow makes for great comedy. It doesn't. The whole affair comes off as incredibly vain and it's hard to imagine there was even a completed script. This is no more than a two hour viral video.
If you really need to see minor celebs embarrass themselves for a couple of hours just watch four back to back episodes of 'Keeping up with the Kardashians'; it'll be less painful.
2/10
Eric Hillis
