This Is the End

Seth Rogan and Evan Goldberg, writers of the semi-autobiographical Superbad, which made stars out of Jonah Hill and Michael Cera, create another movie about themselves, in the form of this self-mocking-apocalyptical-Hollywood-stoner-comedy-horror-bromance. The film, in which every cast member plays an exaggerated version of themselves, feels like a big budget home movie that is essentially one long inside joke. But Rogan and Goldberg let the audience in on the joke from the get go and furnish the picture with a light, endearing spirit coupled with enough substance to make it surprisingly entertaining despite its indulgent running time. The film features just about every actor that came up through the Judd Apatow ranks and several more members of young Hollywood royalty spoofing themselves and their superficial lifestyle. This crew is much more of an actual “brat pack” than the 80s teen stars for which that term was coined ever were, and they are far more savvy about their public personas.

This is the End is the kind of movie that should wear out its welcome by the halfway point, but Rogan, Goldberg, and company all know how to keep a bromance alive and kicking, and This is the End is first and foremost a bromance. These guys understand this genre because they helped create it and, as limited as the form is, when chock full of enough ironic banter, pop-culture references, dick jokes and mock-homoerotic underpinnings, movies of this genre contain potent and meaningful insights into the male friendships at their core.

While too inside to be a potential classic like Superbad, This is the End fully commits to its premise and delivers the goods. Not only is it far less self-indulgent than you would think, it has real heart and real backbone (and various other body parts).