This Is the End

The apocalypse is nigh. Frequently hilarious, but overindulgent, this comedy/disaster-film hybrid from Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen (Superbad, Pineapple Express), mixes vulgar, phallocentric bro humor with images of giant sinkholes to hell and giant, satanic beasts sporting huge, swinging dicks. Self-referential to the max, This Is the End has its actors playing themselves. Jay Baruchel is visiting his old pal, Seth Rogen, in L.A. when they go to a party at James Franco’s house, which is populated by a who’s who of young Hollywood talent. Then the apocalypse arrives, and the partygoers, barricaded inside Franco’s fortresslike dwelling, go into survival mode. Squabbles go on and on, the guys shoot a sequel to Pineapple Express to pass the time, and references to other films abound. The film’s comedic strategy is definitely of the “let ’em all fly and see what sticks” approach, but it’s amazing how adhesive so much of this is.