When I heard that there was a movie coming out where the plot is “James Franco throws a party and all of his friends are there and then the End of the world happens” I was sold. This idea just seemed quirky and out-there enough that I couldn’t see how this would be a failure. Then I saw the first trailer and I laughed and said to myself, “OK…this doesn’t look like it will suck at all.” I then learned that it was based on Jason Stone’s short film from 2007 James and Seth versus the Apocalypse and that the main characters are in fact James Franco and Seth Rogen playing themselves. How surreal! Actors portraying themselves as slightly-not-them-but-them characters that mimic their real life yet not so much. Twisted and brilliant, I know!

Seth Rogen and his writing partner Evan Goldberg (both also directed this amazing movie) manage to make BEST COMEDY TO HIT MOVIE THEATERS IN A DAMN LONG TIME!! I don’t even know where to start as I’m still laughing as I think about the movie while I’m typing the review. It’s that good and that funny. I haven’t laughed from start to finish for a movie in a very long time. I mean the audience was laughing so hard and loud at times that I need to see This is the End again just to try and catch some of the jokes that I missed due to all the laughing. If Man of Steel wasn’t coming out on the same weekend (even if it is two days later), This is the End would be the number one movie in the box office this weekend….but being the number one comedy will suffice.

Grade: 5 out of 5 stars!!

Staring the likes of  James Franco, Johna Hill, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride, and Craig Robinson  as themselves and the ones that the story revolves around.  Jay Baruchel is in town visiting his friend Seth Rogen and after a day of playing video games, drinking, doing weed, playing video games, drinking, doing weed, Rogen mentions that James Franco is having a party and they should go. Jay isn’t a big L.A. guy and wants to just chill at Seth’s place, but he eventually decides that the party should be fun even if Jonah Hill is going to be there – seems there is some bad blood between Hill and Baruchel.

At the party we see that there are a lot of people that have been in the Apatow universe of movies – Michael Cera, Emma Watson, Mindy Kailing, David Krumholts, Christopher Mintz-Pleasse, Rihanna, Martin Starr, Paul Rudd, Kevin Hart, Jason Segel, Aziz Ansari – and as someone on IMDB’s comments page noted, this is the most Jews in a single movie ever. First and foremost the award for the best performance has to go to Michael Cera as he plays himself completely opposite of his normal characters he’s ever played – gone is the quite, introverted Michale Cera and in it’s place we get someone that is going coke crazy, getting blow jobs from women in Jame Franco’s bathroom while drinking a Capri sun, and someone that slaps Rihanna’s but just to slap it (and in turn gets slapped across the face by Rihanna).

Now back to the party. Jay isn’t happy that Seth ditched him to spend time with Franco and their Hollywood friends, so he asks Seth to go with him to get some cigarettes from the convince store that is a few blocks from Franco’s place. As they are at the store the ground shakes, explosions happen all over the place, people are sucked up into the sky by blue beams of light and they run, they run so far away…actually they run back to Franco’s place where the party is still going on. No one believes Jay about what happened until the ground shakes at James Fracno’s and chaos starts to reign supreme with party goers running for their lives or falling into a sinkhole that opened.

With our main cast stuck at James Franco’s and trying to survive on what food, drink, and drugs they have left from the party, all seems well until the real danger emerges the next morning. Something so nasty that no one knew it was even in the house until they all woke up to see breakfast had been made from all the remaining food. That vile creature is non-other then Danny McBride, who wasn’t even invited to the party. He just happened to show up and fell asleep in one of James Franco’s upstairs bathrooms. Because they are playing characters with names that are the same as their real name you get a lot of interactions that make you wonder what is exaggerated and what is real. I mean does Jay Baruchel really hate Johah Hill? Did James Franco really not want Danny McBride at the party? Did Seth Rogen really go on a gluten free diet? What happens when you stop being polite… and start getting real?

One thing I was wondering about before the movie even started was how would it end. Was there an ending or would it just end and leave the audience with the job of  figuring it out on their own…come to their own conclusion type thing. There is an ending! And it is good! Let’s say the payoff is worth the wait.

I don’t have to tell you that this is Rated R and there is lots of drug mentions and some usage, adult language, male organs, some nudity (and so glad that it wasn’t Jason Segel this time), and an appearance by a B-level actor that will leave you laughing. Get out there, see This is the End and have a great time. Who would have thought that the End of Days would be so damn funny.