An Awesome parody of Hollywood, and rapture films

Rating: 9/10 (29 July 2013)

This movie is seriously messed up (I would use a stronger adjective but IMDb would probably object). Basically it is about a bunch of actors who play themselves caught up at the end of the world. To so that it is hilarious is an understatement, but then again the humour isn't necessarily intelligent, but rather incredibly crude. However, that, to me, does not necessarily detract from they movie because I did find myself laughing quite loudly through the movie.
Many have suggested that maybe this movie is blasphemous, and in a way it probably is, but to be honest with you I really don't care. Personally, this movie is simply a lot of fun, and simply pokes fun at the acting profession. For instance, Craig Robinson's quote 'we're actors, were soft' referring to the fact that while they might play tough guys, in reality they are far from being tough.
Mind you, I might actually suggest that there is more theological truth in this movie that one would actually expect, despite the incredible crudeness. For instance, when talking about God and Jesus Christ, Jay says 'No, Jesus and God are the same, there's the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit' (to which James Franco then pops up and says 'like Neopolitan ice cream'). Then there is the idea of getting into heaven. They spend the entire movie trying to work it out, and it is only when they either sacrifice themselves for the sake of another (as Craig Robinson does) or show forgiveness where it is not deserved (as Jay does) that they are then caught up into heaven (though not theologically correct, this is actually a lot more that a lot of people who go around calling themselves Christians do).
What I really liked about the film was how the actors pretty much played themselves (or rather a parody of themselves). It is interesting that how after the rapture the who's who of Hollywood pretty much did not realise that anything had actually happened, and when the ground does start shaking, they all run out to be mostly gobbled up in a pit that goes straight to hell. Micheal Cera gets it in the the neck (which probably has something to do with Year One, though I am sure God will accept his apology that that particularly terrible film), and a group manage to survive, all trapped in James Franco's house. So what we have is the classic tale of a group of people (apparently friends, but in situations such as these friendships tend to be tested, and the worst, and the best, end up coming out of them).
This film is a parody, and a pretty good parody at that. Sure, it parodises those apocalyptic mostly Christian films such as Left Behind, but it also parodies the Hollywood scene. The fact that there is a suggestion that nobody in Hollywood will actually be caught up in the rapture is pretty damning in itself. The other aspect is simply that hell actually isn't a nice place, but Heaven, well, that place is pretty cool. The fact that when all of the Christians (or at least the good hearted people) are caught up at the beginning also goes to show that after they are all gone, the the world is simply not going to be a nice place to live in anymore.