Starring: Jay Baruchel, Seth Rogan and James Franco
Directed By Evan Goldberg & Seth Rogan
Rated: R
Running time: 1 hour 47 mins
Columbia
Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars
The directorial debut of Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogan gives us a clever and interesting combination of a comedy and action movie. With so many movies made every year, very rarely does an original one come along that isn’t a sequel or based off of a book or comic strip. This film, in my opinion, is a truly original and well made comedy.
When old friends Jay and Seth get together to take a long needed vacation from their normal Hollywood lives they experience something neither of them ever expected. After a day comprised of “stoner” activities, Seth invites Jay along with him to a party at James Franco’s house. Though Jay is at first reluctant to attend he gives in a tags along.
At the party is Jason Segal, Emma Watson, Rhianna, and a cocaine snorting Michael Cera. We’re also introduced to pretty much everyone who appeared in “Superbad,” “Pineapple Express” and “Knocked Up.” As with most gatherings of friends, soon the time comes to cut on each other and there are some great one liners through out the whole party. Still feeling a little out of place Jay asks Seth to run with him to the gas station to get a drink. What they witness on their journey will change their lives. After feeling what they think is an earthquake, they are surprised by blue lights that come from the sky. They are genuinely frightened when the witness people being sucked up into Heaven. The Rapture has begun. Freaked out they run back to the party to explain what they have seen and to see who has been “taken” at the party. They are surprised to see that the party is going on and no one knows what they are talking about. It’s Hollywood, so of course there aren’t any pure souls at the party. Soon an actual earthquake opens up a hole into hell where all perish except our group of main characters.
Now barricaded in Franco’s house tensions are high and survival is the mine set. With the end of the world upon them they reason that things can’t get any worse. Enter Danny McBride. His on-screen appearance is one of the funniest scenes I have witnessed in recent memory. We learn alot about the characters here from a quick rundown of what Danny thought happened the night before. Being the badass he is, McBride relates that he was in a drunk and stoned oblivion and is completely ignorant of the previous night’s events. Now with the full crew here we get a lot of “Funny or Die” scenes based on booze, foul language, sex jokes and getting high. One would think after a disaster like this you would want to find help and get rescued. But, for this group of guys, it becomes a reason to make their own drug induced sequel to “Pineapple Express.”
This film is all comedy, some action, a little faith and a lot of laughs. The relationships we see through out the film are part of the laughs. James Franco has a weird bro love for Seth Rogan, where Rogan wants to be the best he can be for Franco because, well, he IS James Franco. Jay is a small town actor who likeed Seth the way he was while Jonah Hill and Jay, the two most likeable people in the group’s circle, absolutely hate each other. With a passion I might add.