This is the end of the world as we know it, do do do. Or whatever. Just released in time for some laughs is This is The End, a film starring people I like when playing douchebag cokeheads and dislike when playing likeable characters… I’m looking at you James Franco. I am super fond of this film, so much so I’m gonna watch it again while writing this. Fourth wall breaking, overtly Jewish comedy by the people who make the good comedy films in America, mainly about stoners. Starring Seth Rogen, James Franco, the fabulously perpetually beautiful Emma Watson and others as themselves in a post apocalyptic comedy that is perfect for Pineapple Express fans.
The film opens with Seth Rogen waiting at an airport for his friend Jay, seemingly jamming away to some atonal jazz through invisible magical headphones. After a small interlude with Jay and an uncontrollable amount of marra-the-wanna they go to James Franco’s new place where he is having one hell of a house warming party with the likes of Jason Segel and Michael Cera, who plays a coked up, Rihanna ass-slapping version of himself. This provides lovely little references to How I Met Your Mother, an on screen reunion of Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Cera and Jonah Hill and a conversation about doing a Pineapple Express sequel between Rogen and Franco, which is apparently a real idea that he has for one.
For fans of fourth wall breaking and ensemble casts, it is fucking incredible. After a quick stop off at a shop to get some cigarettes the apocalypse kicks in out of nowhere and kills off most of the celebrities. As cool as this is it does destroy a certain amount of the dynamic right at the start of the film, but on the bright side it does set the premise early enough so as not to become tedious.
For fans of fourth wall breaking and ensemble casts, it is fucking incredible. After a quick stop off at a shop to get some cigarettes the apocalypse kicks in out of nowhere and kills off most of the celebrities. As cool as this is it does destroy a certain amount of the dynamic right at the start of the film, but on the bright side it does set the premise early enough so as not to become tedious.
I’m not sure how many of you film watchers and video game players have gone to a party and smoked tremendous amounts of ‘herbal’ cigarettes, but I’m sure at some point you have had to deal with the sudden arrival of a parent, or perhaps just a pizza delivery guy appearing at the door that you had absolutely no memory of calling. It inspires enough anxiety to really set you on edge for the rest of the night, now imagine you looked outside after this and the hills were on fire and a massive hole had opened in your garden killing celebrities, non celebrities and punctured the loveable Michael Cera through the chest.
It’s fair to say you’d probably have a panic attack and possibly spend the rest of your night crying while hugging your copy of ‘Youth in Revolt’, telling Michael that it was all gonna be ok because he was in heaven now even though you knew he was in some dark fiery hell, being made to sort paint brushes for Hitler or run baths of Lady Bathory.
It’s fair to say you’d probably have a panic attack and possibly spend the rest of your night crying while hugging your copy of ‘Youth in Revolt’, telling Michael that it was all gonna be ok because he was in heaven now even though you knew he was in some dark fiery hell, being made to sort paint brushes for Hitler or run baths of Lady Bathory.
After a lot of pissing about and calming down the crew, which had been reduced to James Franco, Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, and Craig Robinson, all relax and film Pineapple Express 2. In a well paced decision this is livened up by the sudden arrival of a typically over the top Danny McBride, who can’t possibly behave the way he does in his work in real life. I think if he wasn’t thrown into the mix the whole film would’ve been a fellatio of each of the character’s egos as they talked about the best films they ever did until the apocalypse finished doing it’s business.
So in some respects accidentally making Emma Watson think she was gonna get raped, eating all the food they had left and ultimately running and off and becoming a cannibal, while keeping Channing Tatum as a sex slave, was the best thing he could’ve done to save the souls of the rest of the crew. Apparently there’s a micro cameo from someone in it too that no one has confirmed, possibly Nicholas Cage so keep a look out for it.
So in some respects accidentally making Emma Watson think she was gonna get raped, eating all the food they had left and ultimately running and off and becoming a cannibal, while keeping Channing Tatum as a sex slave, was the best thing he could’ve done to save the souls of the rest of the crew. Apparently there’s a micro cameo from someone in it too that no one has confirmed, possibly Nicholas Cage so keep a look out for it.
Anyway the film was great, possibly ok, but I thought Pineapple Express was ok and it grew on me over the years. Apparently it was very cathartic for the actors involved; being able to take out some of their frustrations in a real life way by satirizing their annoying real life habits, except for Cera, he’s a much lovlier person than the coked out Rhianna abuser you see here. This made it very fun, now go and smoke lots of weed so that you forget all the spoilers and then watch it.
Dave Roberts
This is The End at CeX
