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‘This Is the End’ delivers outrageous humor

This Is the End is a movie that’s almost as funny as it is outrageous. And boy, is it outrageous.

Co-written and co-directed by Seth Rogen, it features him and a number of other veteran comedic actors playing themselves at a wild party at James Franco’s new house in Los Angeles. Then the apocalypse happens.

If that premise sounds ridiculous, that’s because it is. Indeed, this is one of the most over-the-top, irreverent and vulgar movies I’ve seen in a long time. Yet, it works. Although this isn’t an amazing movie, it is quite funny, and I couldn’t help but admire the gusto with which it presents itself.

The reason why This Is the End works at all is because of how game its cast is.
Nearly everyone in this movie is playing a caricature of their real life selves, and no one holds anything back.

The main cast of Rogen, Franco, Jay Baruchel, Craig Robinson, Jonah Hill and Danny McBride really let it all hang out. They have amazing chemistry together, and the amount of hilarity generated simply from their conversations is quite impressive. Even those making cameos add a lot to the film, in particular Michael Cera and Emma Watson.

The writing itself is also a strong point. In addition to some first-rate comedic dialogue, the way the apocalypse is introduced and how the stakes and challenges it brings are raised are all nicely done.

The music is also great, ranging from “Gangam Style” to “War Pigs,” and really makes for some truly entertaining montages.

All that being said, this isn’t a perfect movie.

While the apocalypse is rolled out at a decent pace, the end result is fairly uninspired.

As a comedy, This Is the End certainly succeeds, but as a genre movie, it’s pretty lackluster. While this is made up for by the fact that the story revolves around the characters, putting a bit more time, care and creativity into the post-apocalyptic plot elements would have really added to the film, perhaps taking it to the level of the work of Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg.

I also would have liked it if the movie had been a little less mean. Although I appreciated how in-your-face a film it was, just adding a little more kindness to its harsh tone would have, in my opinion, done wonders.

This is also a movie that’s not for everybody.

Like The Hangover trilogy, this is a hard R-rated film, not suitable for children or younger teens. It also features a lot of vulgar sexual humor, drug use and an irreverent attitude towards the bible, so if you’re offended by any of these elements, you should really steer clear.

On the other hand, if boundary-pushing comedy, and the idea of Michael Cera and a bunch of other celebrities getting killed off in the first 20 minutes of a movie sounds good, then you really should check This Is the End out.

A masterpiece it is not, but it certainly is a lot of fun, and one of your best bets in theatres now.

Finally, like the title of the movie I just reviewed, this is the end of my time as the movie critic for The Berkshire Beacon. I will be starting a new job as a reporter for The Oneonta Daily Star in July, and this column is one of the many things I will miss about my time living in The Berkshires and working at The Beacon.

Fortunately for you readers, longtime Beacon staff writer Catherine Krummey will be taking over the column, and she’s absolutely brilliant.

For those of you who still want to hear my opinion, you can tune into 104.3 LPFM, the Berkshire Talking Chronicle, every Friday at 7 p.m. for The Berkshire Movie Show, which I will continue to host until the end of June with Catherine Krummey and Adam Poulisse.

I’ll also be making regular guest appearances on the show in the months to come, after Catherine takes over, and I have a blog in the works.

For all of you who’ve followed and enjoyed this column, it has been an honor and a privilege to give you my two cents over these last two years, and I hope you’ve enjoyed reading it as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

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Posted by on June 20, 2013. Filed under Arts and Entertainment,Columns,Movie Reviews,Opinion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry
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