This Is The End
2.5 Waffles!

If the world is coming to an end and Armageddon is nigh, you can do worse than hanging with some of the funniest people on the planet … and James Franco.

Jay Baruchel stars as himself, just like everyone else in the movie. He has made a rare trip to Hollywood to hang out with his pal Seth Rogen. Jay hates Hollywood, so he is looking forward to just spending time with his friend playing video games and acting like teenage boys.

Of course, Seth has other plans. He drags Jay to a house warming party for James Franco, which is being attended by so many Hollywood stars you might think you just stumbled across a re-boot of The Love Boat. During the festivities, a massive earthquake breaks out leaving only James Franco, Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen, Craig Robinson and Danny McBride alive in Franco’s house.

Of course, it wasn’t just an earthquake. It was the apocalypse, and there are very few survivors.

Who will live?

Who will die?

This Is The End is funny in every shame-inducing, juvenile way possible, and a whole bunch of other ways that are just plain hilarious.

Written and directed by Rogen and Evan Goldberg, This Is The End often feels like the guys are just hanging out and riffing on each other for our amusement (and creating various rivalries and relationship challenges), so it isn’t all that complicated. It’s goofy, when it’s not being too over the top.

I don’t think we need all of the vulgarity and sex jokes, including ones about rape, but everyone does a wonderful job sending up their own personalities and the movies they are famous for, especially Michael Cera, who plays the kind of Michael Cera that is more badass than you ever imagined.

However, McBride is the star of the movie. Outrageous, bombastic and totally in control whenever he is on the screen, McBride injects the energy and punch This Is The End needs to keep us interested as these guys stumble around the house and try to deal with impending mortality. When he’s not on screen, the movie suffers.

The movie does have a lull as we move towards the end, and Rogen and Goldberg seem to be struggling to find an ending, but you know you will get plenty of laughs as the Hollywood Hills burn (I can’t believe TMZ is not covering this).

This Is The End is rated for crude and sexual content throughout, brief graphic nudity, pervasive language, drug use and some violence.