This is the End:
By Seamus Kirby and Jeffrey Schwartz
This is the End is both a comedy starring a variety of some of Hollywood’s most well known actors, while at the same time addressing the issues of friendship, ignorance, sacrifice, and celebrity culture. This is the End was directed by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, and stars Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, James Franco, Jonah Hill, Danny McBride, and Craig Robinson, who all play exaggerations of themselves.
While the film features many famous actors, it focuses on Seth Rogen and Jay Baruchel. The movie begins with Seth and Jay ready to enjoy a “bro-tastic” weekend of drinking and smoking. The conflict in their relationship begins to show when Seth suggests they go to James Franco’s housewarming party. Full of rich partiers that Jay has no affiliation with, he is reluctant to go but ends up forcing himself to in an attempt to salvage his relationship with Seth.
The party is filled with hundreds of famous celebrities, such as Michael Cera and Emma Watson. The party portrays all these celebrities as people who have no need to worry about the problems experienced by the average human. The nature of the party is summed up in the scene where all the partiers group around a keyboard to sing “Take yo panties off”, during which Jay leaves to buy a pack of cigarettes. When Judgement Day happens while Jay and Seth are outside, and those who were worthy ascended to Heaven, Jay and Seth run back to the party to find that nobody has noticed anything, as none of the celebrities were worthy to go to Heaven.
While the movie starts off with each setting seeming completely normal, after the apocalypse begins, the settings become darker and smokier (whether from fire or drugs), and the film takes on an almost constant orange hue. An example of this is a scene where Emma Watson is escaping the house while threatening the group with an axe (shown to the right.) In this scene, the morning sun shining through a crack in the barricade they made to protect the house casts the whole room in an orange light that seems extremely fitting for a movie set during the apocalypse, but a similar effect is achieved at other points by candles, and one of the more common motifs in the film, fire.
All of the actors play exaggerations or parodies of themselves. While the movie has a clear narrative, the majority of the scenes are set up in such a way that the actors can improvise most of the lines, and the freedom that the actors have in every scene what makes the movie as entertaining as it is.
While This is the End is at heart a comedy, it touches on a variety of issues, like the corruption inherent in celebrity culture, and by extension American culture. It also addresses subjects like friendships, and how they grow apart or become stronger, as it follows the arc of Jay and Seth’s relationship. This is the End is by no means a movie that is defined by the issues it addresses, and it is unlikely you will be surprised by any turns the plot may take, but it never tries to, and as a result is simply an entertaining comedy starring several famous Hollywood actors surviving during the apocalypse.
By Seamus Kirby and Jeffrey Schwartz
This is the End is both a comedy starring a variety of some of Hollywood’s most well known actors, while at the same time addressing the issues of friendship, ignorance, sacrifice, and celebrity culture. This is the End was directed by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, and stars Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, James Franco, Jonah Hill, Danny McBride, and Craig Robinson, who all play exaggerations of themselves.
While the film features many famous actors, it focuses on Seth Rogen and Jay Baruchel. The movie begins with Seth and Jay ready to enjoy a “bro-tastic” weekend of drinking and smoking. The conflict in their relationship begins to show when Seth suggests they go to James Franco’s housewarming party. Full of rich partiers that Jay has no affiliation with, he is reluctant to go but ends up forcing himself to in an attempt to salvage his relationship with Seth.
The party is filled with hundreds of famous celebrities, such as Michael Cera and Emma Watson. The party portrays all these celebrities as people who have no need to worry about the problems experienced by the average human. The nature of the party is summed up in the scene where all the partiers group around a keyboard to sing “Take yo panties off”, during which Jay leaves to buy a pack of cigarettes. When Judgement Day happens while Jay and Seth are outside, and those who were worthy ascended to Heaven, Jay and Seth run back to the party to find that nobody has noticed anything, as none of the celebrities were worthy to go to Heaven.
While the movie starts off with each setting seeming completely normal, after the apocalypse begins, the settings become darker and smokier (whether from fire or drugs), and the film takes on an almost constant orange hue. An example of this is a scene where Emma Watson is escaping the house while threatening the group with an axe (shown to the right.) In this scene, the morning sun shining through a crack in the barricade they made to protect the house casts the whole room in an orange light that seems extremely fitting for a movie set during the apocalypse, but a similar effect is achieved at other points by candles, and one of the more common motifs in the film, fire.
All of the actors play exaggerations or parodies of themselves. While the movie has a clear narrative, the majority of the scenes are set up in such a way that the actors can improvise most of the lines, and the freedom that the actors have in every scene what makes the movie as entertaining as it is.
While This is the End is at heart a comedy, it touches on a variety of issues, like the corruption inherent in celebrity culture, and by extension American culture. It also addresses subjects like friendships, and how they grow apart or become stronger, as it follows the arc of Jay and Seth’s relationship. This is the End is by no means a movie that is defined by the issues it addresses, and it is unlikely you will be surprised by any turns the plot may take, but it never tries to, and as a result is simply an entertaining comedy starring several famous Hollywood actors surviving during the apocalypse.