By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 1 hour ago
It’s rare these days to find a good, R-rated comedy, and it’s even harder to find celebrities who are willing to make themselves the butt of a really good joke. But would you believe that Netflix now has an end-of-the-world comedy in which director Seth Rogen gets all of his most famous buddies to play deranged caricatures of themselves in an unforgettably raunchy romp? That movie is This Is the End (2013), and it’s time for you to discover a sinfully sexy film that could never be made today.
The premise of This Is the End is that Seth Rogen (playing himself, as are the other stars) is attending James Franco’s celeb-filled housewarming party when a rapture straight out of the Book of Revelations happens. This turns what was meant to be an evening of debaucherous fun into a frantic fight for survival that continues into the next day, and these apocalyptic events lead to struggles with everything from cannibalism to demons. Unless our Hollywood heroes can manage to outwit Satan himself, they might just get dragged into Hell along with the rest of the world.
Hollywood Goes To Hell
This is The End is the rare Bible-based black comedy, and like the good book, it has its own Old Testament…sort of. Back in 2007, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg wrote Jay and Seth Versus the Apocalypse, a short film in which Seth Rogen and Jay Baruchel must try to survive the events of an unspecified apocalypse by holing up in a barricaded home. After a trailer for the film went viral on YouTube, Rogen and Goldberg teamed up to direct This Is the End, a big-budget, star-studded adaptation of their delightfully insane short.
Because this is a blockbuster adaptation of Jay and Seth Versus the Apocalypse, you won’t be surprised to learn that the primary stars of This Is the End are Jay Baruchel (best known outside of this film for Goon) and Seth Rogen (best known for Pineapple Express), whose chemistry helps turn the end of days into the ultimate comedy. Rogen deserves particular credit for being a real triple threat here: in addition to headlining the film, he also co-wrote and co-directed it. This is clearly a passion project for the talented actor, and This Is the End has stood the test of time as the last great R-rated comedy of the modern age before that entire genre rode off into the streaming sunset.
The Stars Are All Out Tonight
Baruchel and Rogen are joined by a galaxy of stars playing wonderfully deranged versions of themselves, including James Franco (best known for Spring Breakers), Jonah Hill (best known for 21 Jump Street), and Craig Robinson (best known for Hot Tub Time Machine). They form the core cast, though nobody steals the show quite like Danny McBride (best known for Pineapple Express), who serves as the film’s ultimate chaos agent. Special mention goes to stars like Emma Watson and especially Michael Cera for fully leaning into raunchy punchlines that run completely counter to their generally squeaky-clean public personas.
It took a Bible-sized budget of about $37 million to bring This Is the End to life. Fortunately, the film managed to reap what it sowed, earning a healthy $127 million at the box office. Sadly, you shouldn’t hold your breath for a sequel: while Evan Goldberg had a few interesting ideas for a follow-up (including one where Danny McBride would play the biblical Adam), fellow director Seth Rogen has maintained that a sequel is unlikely, but if it ever did happen (through divine intervention, perhaps), he’d love to give it the cheeky title No, THIS Is The End.
Devilish Charm Wins Over The Critics
When This Is the End came out, reviewers decided this eclectic ensemble film was an apocalyptic delight. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a score of 82 percent, with critics commending the film for its refreshingly frenzied energy and hilariously raunchy humor. They also praised the star-studded cast for all of their self-deprecating jokes and generally willingness to mock their own careers for our entertainment.
For me, the assorted celebrities’ willingness to make fun of themselves is a major part of what makes This Is the End so much fun. Trust me: if you’ve enjoyed Michael Cera being a nebbish little dweeb in everything from Arrested Development to Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, it’s hilarious to see him as a coked-out party animal lusting after Rihanna. Furthermore, if you enjoyed Channing Tatum chewing all the scenery in Deadpool & Wolverine, you’ll get a big kick out of seeing him become (as the movie so memorably describes it) Danny McBride’s “gimp b*tch.”
The Ultimate Horror Comedy Is Just A Click Away
Overall, This Is The End works on several levels: it’s an ensemble comedy where everyone has great chemistry, an apocalyptic blockbuster with great effects, and a horror movie with more than a few genuine frights. It even works as a low-key religious movie that (and thank God for this) doesn’t take itself very seriously at all. Plus, almost every scene in this film is guaranteed to provide at least one big laugh, and that’s something seriously lacking in most modern comedies.
Will you agree that This Is the End is a hard, R-rated comedy classic, or will you decide this is one apocalyptic film that needs Jesus (in more ways than one)? You won’t know until you stream its raunchy perfection for yourself. Come for the quippy one-liners and stay for your favorite (and least-favorite) celebrities experiencing insanely gruesome deaths!
