This Is The End

Starring: James Franco, Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, & Jay Baruchel

Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars

Sometimes the best ideas are the simplest ones, that come to you while having a drink with friends at a bar. Unlike this groups other films, the story and plot aren't the focus here. This Is The End features a ton of Hollywood's top comedic stars, playing extremely stereotypical version of themselves. Their characters are based on rumors, gossip, and over exaggerations of their true persona's, resulting in a hilarious film, that not only delighted their fans, but also gave a huge middle finger to the paparazzi. The film starts with Jay Baruchel visiting Seth Rogen in L.A. Baruchel, a notorious introvert, wants to stay in, but Rogen wants to go to James Franco's housewarming party. Reluctantly the pair agree to go to the big time Hollywood shindig, when the fun is interrupted by the apocolypse, and I don't mean a zombie one, the actual end of the world. The pampered actors find themselves in a fight for survival in the home of James Franco. The whole cast was hilarious and while watching it you realize that the characters they develop really aren't that dissimilar from who they really are. Jay Baruchel surprised me, as I knew very little about him, besides his awkward performance in She's Out of League. I haven't really seen him as more than a ancillary character, and it was really fun to see him fit in with the gang. Rogen, Hill, Franco, and Robinson don't disappoint, giving you exactly what you'd expect from them, and unfortunately so does Danny McBride. I really don't get the appeal of this guy! He is way over the top, super annoying, and just a big dumb redneck, that just doesn't seem to fit in with the likes of these comedic geniuses. If I had the choice I'd much rather have had Michael Cera or Paul Rudd trapped with them instead of McBride, who didn't get more than an annoyed grunt out of me. This Is The End is a very funny film, wrapped in an awful story, but it gives great insight into the personalities of some of our favorite actors and that really is the whole point of this film. It's just one of those things that either you'll get it and love it, or you won't.