HK Auteur Review - This Is The End

Rating: 7/10 (14 October 2013)

First off, I want to say I am a fan of the Judd Apatow team. Before Judd Apatow made The 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up, I wasn't really into the American comedies that were dominated by Ben Stiller, Will Ferrel and Vince Vaughn. The improvisational nature of Apatow's comedy and the crude sophomoric jokes infused with a heartfelt message hit me on a deeper level. As a lover of buddy cop movies, I'm also generally a sucker for bromance movies, of which I would argue is a close relative. Most of all, I like Apatow's cast of actors. Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, Danny McBride, Michael Cera, James Franco... they're all funny in their own idiosyncratic way and seem to have free reign over their own personas.
This brings me to my first critique of This is the End. The central gag of having the actors play themselves isn't as funny as the film thinks it is. For example, This is the End's version of Michael Cera is a foul-mouthed cocaine addict. Why? Because the filmmakers thought it'd be funny to do a total reversal on Cera's real life persona. That gag is only truly funny if we know what Michael Cera is like in real life. Most of us, unlike the filmmakers, can only drawn upon Michael Cera's timid on screen persona. That creates enough of a contrast to elicit laughs and it does. However, the filmmakers are ultimately more connected to the joke than the audience can ever be, and that is problematic on some level. I get the feeling I should be laughing harder than the film is making me.
Just to reiterate, I did laugh. There were times when the celebrity gag won me over. I liked how the character relationships were set up and they all have great chemistry. Jay Baruchel plays the audience's avatar and reacts to all colors of obnoxious behavior exhibited by the other actors. Actually, the film even takes it one comedic step further. When Danny McBride enters the film, he does his brand of obnoxious behavior that happens to be so overwhelming, the other annoying actors call him on it and ask him to stop.
When the film doesn't rely on the celebrity gag and gives something for the characters to do to survive the Apocalypse, it's much more creative and funnier. I liked the graphic novel-like style that went into the world creation of the apocalypse. Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg deliver some surprises to what's going on outside James Franco's house. The parts in between that didn't pertain to surviving the Apocalypse are strung by improvisational dialogue scenes and they stick out as the weaker moments. I recognize the ability to improvise scenes and be funny on camera, but watching the cast react to the fantastical elements was more interesting than watching the celebrities react to each other. As the audience's avatar, Jay Baruchel ends up being outnumbered as he is the only genuine likable character in a cast of six. So for somebody isn't already warm to these actors, they easily come off as very unlikable. And that can get taxing rather quickly. The writing isn't doing enough to build enough character for the cast and the film is completely reliant on what we know of these actors and their past works.
Due to its leaning towards it's own self-referential quality than being a apocalyptic survival film, This is the End is ultimately a fan film for the Judd Apatow audience. (Think Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back for Kevin Smith's Viewaskew Universe) If you never liked any of the comedies from the Judd Apatow team, this movie isn't going to convert you. If you don't like none of these actors, I'd tell you to just skip it altogether. I am part of the Apatow audience and like these actors, and even with that, it felt like watching one gigantic inside joke.