This Is The End (Evan Goldberg & Seth Rogen)

[Wryan]

Thought this was hilarious. "House bitch." The jacking off argument was one of the finest-executed comedy bits of 2013 so far.

[Dukefrukem]

The jacking off argument was one of the finest-executed comedy bits of 2013 so far.

Yeh I was dying during that. I also felt like 99% was improved.

[Sycophant]

Critic Eric Henderson says it best:

"This is the End shows a group of stoned, over-privileged, under-achieving posers trying to fake their way into heaven by doing the barest minimum of worthy work … and earning eternal rewards. That's Hollywood!"

This might be more stinging if the film didn't explicitly bring up this basic perspective. The keenest insight in Henderson's review may be his first statement, "I didn’t want to like This is the End."

[Sycophant]

Anyway. Not every joke landed for me, but that's comedy, y'all! A lot of it worked, and I thought it was pretty smart about how thoroughly the film used its core interpersonal conflicts.

There's something about the selection of the final surprise musical guest that seems almost sublimely perfect to me, and it's hard for me to articulate why.

[Rowland]

This might be more stinging if the film didn't explicitly bring up this basic perspective. The keenest insight in Henderson's review may be his first statement, "I didn’t want to like This is the End."

He didn't necessarily mean for it to be stinging, given that the comment was prefaced with: "But the very ingredient that could’ve made it totally insufferable — the roman a clef aspect — is what actually elevates it." This autocriticism, whether or not as fully intentional as I read it, was what I was suggesting worked best, since so much of the surface humor fell flat for me.

[Rowland]

There's something about the selection of the final surprise musical guest that seems almost sublimely perfect to me, and it's hard for me to articulate why.

It only works for me if as autocriticism. Of course that would be their vision of paradise, as well is it an indictment of an audience that would laugh and cheer along to such pandering nostalgia bait.

[Sycophant]

He didn't necessarily mean for it to be stinging, given that the comment was prefaced with: "But the very ingredient that could’ve made it totally insufferable — the roman a clef aspect — is what actually elevates it." This autocriticism, whether or not as fully intentional as I read it, was what I was suggesting worked best, since so much of the surface humor fell flat for me.

Ah. My misreading of his sentence in context and your point.

[Sycophant]

It only works for me if as autocriticism. Of course that would be their vision of paradise, as well is it an indictment of an audience that would laugh and cheer along to such pandering nostalgia bait.

I'm not necessarily into the idea that it only works if it's saying something bad about me and the rest of the audience for enjoying it. There's some play going on between the ages of the characters and their generation, the conflict between Jay and Seth, and the indulgence in nostalgic pop that works for me.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Spoilers.

I laughed enough at this that I enjoyed it. Some very funny bits, and the emotional story between Seth and Jay is just serious enough to anchor the movie's self-aware dumbness. There's a lot of cleverness, like the idea that not a single person at Franco's party was worthy of salvation, and the line "It's not that compelling" will make it very hard to go back and rewatch The Exorcist. The dog-demon chasing Jay and Craig reminded me, in a good way, of the stop-motion terror dog from Ghostbusters.

Smaller note. I'm a little weary of this team's over-emphasis on gay jokes. This is an apocalypse centered almost entirely on fear of gay sex. Dick tent. Long drawn-out conversations about appropriate places to ejaculate. Nervousness when guys climb into bed together. This crew's big contribution to the popular myths of Revelations is to give the demons really big dicks. What does it mean when the seven-headed dragon of the apocalypse is upstaged by his own penis? Sub-question: do any of Rogen/Goldberg's films depict an actual homosexual?

I think there's a bolder, better film in here somewhere, one that's less forgiving of its heroes. On that note, my favorite bit was probably the confrontation between Franco and McBride at the end. Ingenious reversal.

[Rowland]

the line "It's not that compelling" will make it very hard to go back and rewatch The Exorcist.

This attitude was one of the parts I disliked most about this movie. It thinks its modern sensibilities are above The Exorcist, which reinforces the sorts of attitudes that result in hipper-than-thou millennials laughing derisively at or dismissing older movies.

[Dead & Messed Up]

This attitude was one of the parts I disliked most about this movie. It thinks its modern sensibilities are above The Exorcist, which reinforces the sorts of attitudes that result in hipper-than-thou millennials laughing derisively at or dismissing older movies.

I didn't think that was meant to be derisive. And if it contributes to some sort of derision for classics, I'd level that at millennials instead of the filmmakers. That felt like a parody that came out of ardent (if possibly shallow) love for genre flicks, similar to how Danny McBride essentially becomes Wez from The Road Warrior.

[MadMan]

Just because this movie made fun of The Exorcist doesn't mean that I still don't think The Exorcist is not a great film, because it is. And I don't really care if millennials laugh at or dismiss old movies. If they are dumb enough to not recognize a certain film is great just because it came out before they were born then they are really aren't worth my time or yours.

[Irish]

This was fucking terrible.

I don't think I've ever seen a movie that was so unabashedly narcissistic and self involved, so puerile, and so intently a boys club it doesn't even bother to have a single female character in it (and no, Watson doesn't count).

And Jesus, you guys really thought the never ending stream of cock jokes was funny? Maybe I'm out of touch, but this played like a movie that was written by fourteen year olds for fourteen year olds.

At its best moments it plays like one of those mildly amusing SNL skits, where a clever premise is beaten into the ground by a too-long running time.

At its worst, it doesn't even rise to the level of grade school playground humor. I couldn't believe that these actors, almost of of whom I've liked in different projects, thought any of this was a good idea.

[D_Davis]

And Jesus, you guys really thought the never ending stream of cock jokes was funny? Maybe I'm out of touch, but this played like a movie that was written by fourteen year olds for fourteen year olds.

Isn't that this crew's whole schtick?

[Watashi]

Danny McBride's intro might be one of the best character introductions ever.

[number8]

I will like dick jokes until I am fucking 85, yo.

[Spun Lepton]

I don't think I've ever seen a movie that was so unabashedly narcissistic and self involved, so puerile, and so intently a boys club it doesn't even bother to have a single female character in it (and no, Watson doesn't count).

Pretty sure that was the point.

[Irish]

Pretty sure that was the point.

And the you get into the problem that none it was original or interesting. It's a half hearted, weak sauce grasp at self satire. Why deliver the most obvious ideas that anyone could have come up with after watching their movies?

[Skitch]

We need a 'Meh' option between the Yay and Nay.

[Ezee E]

We need a 'Meh' option between the Yay and Nay.

That's what the star rating is for.

[Spun Lepton]

And the you get into the problem that none it was original or interesting. It's a half hearted, weak sauce grasp at self satire. Why deliver the most obvious ideas that anyone could have come up with after watching their movies?

I would argue nothing's original any more, and I disagree that it wasn't interesting. It lags in parts, but it's an ensemble comedy that relies on improv, so that's usually the case. There were a lot of moments that made me laugh. "Is it? Is it compelling?" The whole masturbation argument. "I'm a cannibal now!" Michael Cera playing way against character. The comedians all play off each other really well. I dunno. I didn't go into it expecting it to carry any weight.

[Ezee E]

I also question what you're expecting when it lays it all out in the trailer of what to expect.

[Winston*]

I will like dick jokes until I am fucking 85, yo.

Seriously.

[Skitch]

That's what the star rating is for.

But I don't want to give it a thumbs up or down! Feeeeeeel the conflict within me!

[Ezee E]

But I don't want to give it a thumbs up or down! Feeeeeeel the conflict within me!

NAY.