James Franco and Seth Rogen star in "This is the End" - A Film so Bad it may actually be Good

James Franco throws a party and invites many of his closest peeps, including Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, Craig Robinson, Danny McBride, Emma Watson and Michael Cera, only to have the fun interrupted by the apocalypse in the new film This is the End. the actors are playing a version of themselves, so they use their real (or Hollywood names), but some of the portrayals are less than flattering. For instance, Michael Cera is depicted as having a cocaine addiction and is serviced by not one, but two, females in the bathroom. I was not surprised by what I saw, but was shocked that he may be straight after all.

The story centers around the characters reconciling with each other when they realize that the world is coming to an end. And yes, it is the hellfire and brimstone kind of ending, complete with demonic monsters, some of which sport huge packages and at least one of them has a thing for Johan Hill, who appears to be such a damn nice guy - who now happens to walk a little funny. The phallic symbolism, references and dialogue, which I assume were at least partly improvised, can be seen and heard throughout the film and are supposed to be amusing, but they become stale pretty quickly. That's what happens when the filmmakers rely on shock value and tawdry humor from beginning to end.

However, This is the End does boast some funny, even laugh out loud moments, but the vast majority of film is poorly written and lacks focus. The story does not flow easily and there were a few times towards the end of the film that I expected things to wrap up, only for it to continue on mercilessly. I thought about walking out like several other people did, but then I would have missed the reunion of a popular boy band and a cameo by the ever popular Channing Tatum (fully clothed, if that matters). I was struck by the talk of religion, as well as the light that poured down from the heavens and scooped people up. Those who are left behind try to figure out a way to do something unselfish in the hopes of being taken away by the powerful light. That aspect felt a little out of place among the drug use, expletives and sex talk. I guess one good deed is all that is needed to clear the slate.

It is difficult to judge the performances since the actors are essentially portraying themselves. Some of them are brutally honest to the point of being mean spirited. However, most of the humor that results from that honesty is taken rather well and, in James Franco's case, he just does not seem to care what anyone says about him. I did enjoy the scenes where Rogen and Franco reprise their roles from Pineapple Express and when Johan Hill was possessed by a demon, but was still able to talk like the passive aggressive characters that he has portrayed in other films. However, that is not enough to save This is the End, which appears to be an exercise in eccentricity and, to be honest, is basically pointless, other than to provide therapy for the actors to work through their interpersonal issues.