This Is the End

‘There’s a party at Franco’s...’ If these words, uttered a few minutes into ‘Superbad’ writers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s directorial debut, make you feel apprehensive, you’re not alone. Is this going to be one of those ‘look at me’ comedies, intended to provoke love, awe and sympathy for LA’s wayward movie brats? Then Michael Cera gets a lamppost through the ribcage, and things begin to look up...

‘This Is the End’ stars Rogen and a litany of major and minor comic talents as themselves, each of them stuck in James Franco’s arty, concrete mansion as the Book of Revelations comes horribly true outside. Yes, it’s indulgent and scrappy, demanding a high level of familiarity with the leading players and an equally high tolerance for weed smoking and masturbation gags. But it can be truly funny (Cera’s coke-snorting, ass-grabbing wildman is a highlight) and there’s room for a few sharp sideswipes at infantile masculinity and Hollywood hipsterism. No comedy classic, then, but a good natured and engaging slice of goonish self-mockery.