Hilarious, if unbalanced, skewering of Hollywood

Rating: 7/10 (21 September 2013)

First things first, this is a gory movie in a very camp unrealistic way. So don't take the kids to it (do I even have to say that? yeah I guess I do these days).
The jokes center around drugs, absurd situations, booze, farts, sex, and more drugs. So on the surface it's pretty immature. Though if you like that kind of humor you need look no further as it's done well. But there are a couple things that make this movie worth a deeper look.
First, the whole theme of the movie is satirizing the self importance of young Hollywood stars. There's a reason the apocalypse happens to them. It's a quite brilliant setup that they manage to work through the whole movie.
Secondly, the ensemble improv acting of a bunch of real life friends playing alter-universe versions of themselves is a hoot to watch. There are some moments presumably due to the improv where scenes don't work quite as slick as they could but this isn't a tight plot driven movie. Overall the effect is that we've been invited to hang out with them while they just have fun making a movie. I love that when that happens but some people may not, it's a taste thing.
And the endless cameos of current young stars are a treat, particularly Michael Cera's bit part of insanity. However, Craig Robinson and Danny McBride steal the show here. They exude comedy in every scene they are in, whether deadpan or mugging.
As I said the movie is not without it's flaws. It does drag a bit here and there, some of the scenes could use tightening and joke pacing is hit or miss occasionally. For all that though I recommend it for fans of the absurd like Hell Baby, another partly improv'ed recent comedy.