MOVIE OF THE WEEK #1 (6/12/14): THIS IS THE END
"Call me 'Hermione' in that bad British accent again, Hill, I dare you!" Emma Watson prepares to take a swing at Jonah Hill and co-writer/director Seth Rogen in a scene from Columbia Pictures' new apocalypse comedy THIS IS THE END. Credit: Suzanne Hanover, SMPSP © 2013 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
KEY CAST MEMBERS: Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, Craig Robinson, James Franco, Danny McBridge, Jonah Hill ... And a bunch of cameo-making celebrities/comedians
WRITER(S): Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg
DIRECTOR(S): Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg
WEB SITE: http://www.thisistheend.com/site/
60 SECOND PLOT SYNOPSIS: Famous Canadian actor you might have heard of (Seth Rogen) picks up fellow Canadian actor you should have heard of (Jay Baruchel, She's Out of My League) in Los Angeles. Said actors go to a party at the home of their Oscar-nominated buddy (James Franco) where a bunch of their friends (Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson, Michael Cera and several other celebrities) for a party. Earth begins to shake, skies open up, fires erupt and ... Well, if you don't know what happens next from the title, you might want to go watch the trailer but be forewarned, the red band trailer is truly NSFW! (That's "not safe for work" for those who don't know their Internet acronyms).
WHO WILL LIKE THIS FILM THE MOST: Long-standing fans of the cast's comedic work, people who liked the first Hangover (and not the sequels), those of are fans of actors playing against type and being self-deprecating and potheads who can actually make it to the theater
WHO WILL LIKE THIS FILM THE MOST: Long-standing fans of the cast's comedic work, people who liked the first Hangover (and not the sequels), those of are fans of actors playing against type and being self-deprecating and potheads who can actually make it to the theater
WHO WON'T LIKE THIS FILM: Religious zealots who feel the movie simplifies/objectifies/exploits the book of Revelations in the Bible, people who watch/read The Walking Dead as a training manual instead of as a dramatic TV show, people who have a problem with seeing male phalluses in a variety of fashions
BOTTOM LINE – IS IT GOOD, GREAT, BAD OR DOWNRIGHT AWFUL? Great if you like the ribald comedy styles that made Superbad, Knocked Up, The 40 Year-Old Virgin and Eastbound & Down hits.
WHAT'S GOOD (OR BAD) ABOUT IT?: This is the End is hilarious for several reasons. First, the cast is not playing their selves; they are playing goofier versions of their selves with some of their characters shaped on what the general public's perceived perception of their selves are. (If you're having trouble with that sentence ... Sorry. Re-read it again). Second, these caricatures of the actors are quite hilarious because each member of the cast plays their role like they don't know they are supposed to be funny, which makes a HUGE difference in any film where an actor is parodying his or her self. Be it someone like Cera in a small but important role playing against type or someone like Hill going all out to show a supposed range you would never expect him to have, it all works well.
You have to give credit to Rogen and fellow End co-writer/co-director Evan Goldberg, of course, for making it all work so well by giving their friends a good base script to work with while at the same time playing into everyone's strengths and, in this instance, supposed weaknesses. It's no easy task to pull of an ensemble picture, let alone an ensemble comedy where everyone has a share in the laughter, but End does it at a rapid-fire pace with sharp wit, commitment and energy from start to finish. This is madness with a refined method to it, which results in ribald, unabridged enjoyment.
Throw in a script that actually makes sense in terms of its story that still manages to be original and you have the first truly great comedy of 2013. If nothing else, it'll cure that "hangover" many comedy fans have had since summer movie season started a few weeks ago ...
WHAT'S GOOD (OR BAD) ABOUT IT?: This is the End is hilarious for several reasons. First, the cast is not playing their selves; they are playing goofier versions of their selves with some of their characters shaped on what the general public's perceived perception of their selves are. (If you're having trouble with that sentence ... Sorry. Re-read it again). Second, these caricatures of the actors are quite hilarious because each member of the cast plays their role like they don't know they are supposed to be funny, which makes a HUGE difference in any film where an actor is parodying his or her self. Be it someone like Cera in a small but important role playing against type or someone like Hill going all out to show a supposed range you would never expect him to have, it all works well.
You have to give credit to Rogen and fellow End co-writer/co-director Evan Goldberg, of course, for making it all work so well by giving their friends a good base script to work with while at the same time playing into everyone's strengths and, in this instance, supposed weaknesses. It's no easy task to pull of an ensemble picture, let alone an ensemble comedy where everyone has a share in the laughter, but End does it at a rapid-fire pace with sharp wit, commitment and energy from start to finish. This is madness with a refined method to it, which results in ribald, unabridged enjoyment.
Throw in a script that actually makes sense in terms of its story that still manages to be original and you have the first truly great comedy of 2013. If nothing else, it'll cure that "hangover" many comedy fans have had since summer movie season started a few weeks ago ...
RATING (OUT OF FOUR BUCKETS OF POPCORN):
Comments
Post a Comment