THIS IS THE END [2013]

WHO IRONS THE IRONY?


2013, USA
Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg
2 // 10

Oh god, where do I even begin? Is Seth Rogen the new Adam Sandler? Was I drunk or unconscious when I added this disc to the rent list? There's only one way to find out!

Ok, summary first. This Is The End is tragically stupid. No, no Dumb And Dumber kind of stupid. No Naked Gun king of stupid. This Is The End is stupid in an absolutely not in the tiniest part positive way kind of stupid. It's so stupid, that it actually made me feel embarrassed for watching it to the end. Which I only did in order to be able to write this review. The funny thing is though, that if I didn't see the ending, it could have probably scored even as high as 3/10. But the ending only added insult to injury (I won't elaborate, it's not worth it). 

It almost feel pointless to try and list everything that's wrong with this film. First, I'd have to list pretty much everything about this film in general, and second, I'm really not sure it deserves even that much attention. But for the sake of making a point, let me mention a few major things. The cardinal sin No. 1? Well, I'd say, it's not a film. Not in a sense that it does not really tell a story, it does not really entertain, it does not communicate anything from the creators to the viewers. What This Is The End is however, is a bunch of Hollywood privileged having a massive, 100 minutes long wank over the fact how cool they are. Okay, I might have let my language slip a bit there, but then again, we're talking about a film in which the most predominant attribute of the devil himself is a massive, swinging cock. The only person looking genuinely ironic about himself here is Michael Cera, which is sad, when you take into account that self-irony is supposed to be the major premise of this picture and there are more celebrities here than in any given L.A. rehab clinic. Basically, the level of megalomania here exceeds the level of noise in a bubble-wrap testing facility. PRETENDING that you laugh at yourself, is not being a good sport. Being a good sport is letting others start the banter and running along with it. If you're trying to have a laugh at your own very self but you're the one who's written the joke, it does not show that you have a sense of humour or a distance to yourself. It only means that you're desperate to make people think, that you're cool. As a result, watching this film was like watching a bunch of immature college pot-heads sharing an inside joke while totally stoned, when you're the only sober person in the room. Only worse, since this film is also morbidly pretentious. A case of Hollywoodian self-indulgence fest of such a bad quality, it hurts.

And then, there's the acting. Now, listen to this: Seth Rogen wrote and directed a film in which he, playing himself, is being heckled by someone at the airport for having no acting talent and being exactly the same in every single film. Auto-ironic, you think? No, I don't think so. There are two options, really. Either Seth Rogen thinks that deep down he's a good actor (I'm yet to be convinced, but I'm not holding my breath) and the joke is, in his opinion, a wink, or he has the full awareness of the fact that he's got as much acting ability as a panting dog and the joke is just his way of saying "piss off, I'm going to earn shit-loads of money anyway". Either way, as far as I'm concerned, he can't act, period.

As for the others, I reserve a special mention for Emma Watson, who probably should consider a few words with her agent. Unless appearing in this miserable, bad joke of a film was her own choice, in which case, I have very little faith in her future development as an actress. She seems to be treating her appearance in This Is The End as if it was at least her shot at the Oscar, with such seriousness and intensity, that it really makes me wonder if she can do anything else. Learn from Michael Cera, Emma, learn from Michael. The rest of the main cast fares better acting-wise, but again, the characters who, supposedly, are meant to be caricatural, are just that little bit too pretentious, too over-drawn, too 'wink-wink-laugh-at-me-I'm-winking!' for me to be truly enjoyable or at least entertaining. They do nothing to rescue, or even elevate a little bit this tasteless paycheck generator. 

And the most ironic thing about it? I just (completely accidentally) happened to watch it right after a totally different take on a group of friends facing the end of the world, which in comparison, serves as a best possible example of what makes British and American cinemas so different. And as far as The World's End was probably the best film I watched this year, watching This Is The End costed me a little bit of my dignity. At least I know I can personally blame Seth Rogen for that.

One to avoid. At all costs.