Celebrities Die Brutally In This Horror Comedy On Netflix That Will Break Your Funnybone
These days, ensemble casts seem to be all the rage. With hit film franchises such as Fast and Furious, The Expendables, and both the MCU and DCU focussing their attention on a wide net of interacting characters played by big name actors, one film seems to stand out as the best assembled cast of comedy titans in recent memory. 2013’s This Is The End is available to stream on Netflix now, and features an all star cast of Seth Rogen, James Franco, Jonah Hill, Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson, Michael Cera, and many more.
The apocalyptic horror comedy This Is the End is streaming on Netflix now, with a long list of celebrities waiting for horrific deaths.
The film, which was written and directed by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, serves as a heavily improvised end-of-days comedy, focusing on a mansion full of comedic actors playing highly fictionalized versions of themselves.
This Is the End also features dozens of major celebrity cameos, including appearances from Harry Potter’s Emma Watson, Mindy Kaling, Paul Rudd, Kevin Hart, Channing Tatum, Martin Starr, Aziz Ansari, all five of the Backstreet Boys, and even multi-platinum singer, songwriter, and record producer Rihanna.
James Franco throws a massive housewarming party in his new mansion full of art and props from former films. All of Hollywood’s biggest names are in attendance, including Seth Rogen and Jay Baruchel, who initially planned to stop in for a brief period before settling in for a quiet evening. These plans go awry when a biblical rapture seems to destroy all of Los Angeles, leaving a gaping sinkhole in front of Franco’s home, and bands of demons and raiders roaming in the streets.
After the chaos sees most of the partygoers killed or fleeing the scene, the remaining cast of Seth Rogen, James Franco, Jay Baruchel, Craig Robinson, and Jonah Hill decide to board up the house and remain in place until help can arrive. Danny McBride then crashes the party, behaving in a reckless and boorish manner, eventually getting himself thrown out of the house for violating everyone’s boundaries.
The apocalyptic disaster then serves as a backdrop for a series of hilarious action comedy set pieces and incredible improv dialogue between the veritable Mount Rushmore of comedic actors.
According to IMDb trivia, Evan Goldberg created a game for himself on the set by trying to get as many actors to object to something as possible, by offering a series of completely absurd scenes to push the performers’ comfort zones. Apparently the only actors in the film who never said no to anything at any point were Seth Rogen and James Franco.
Since Franco and Rogen had worked together so frequently in the past, their real life friendship was explored in the film, as well as a number of other hilarious interpersonal social dynamics pulled from the actor’s real lives.
This Is the End also features dozens of major celebrity cameos, including appearances from Harry Potter‘s Emma Watson, Mindy Kaling, Paul Rudd, Kevin Hart, Channing Tatum, Martin Starr, Aziz Ansari, all five of the Backstreet Boys, and even multi-platinum singer, songwriter, and record producer Rihanna.
According to Jay Baruchel, a number of arguments had between characters in the film were thinly veiled extensions of real underlying frustrations the cast had with each other in real life, leading to a number of highly cathartic and tension-breaking discussions. Seth Rogen noted that the film provides an uncanny look into comedy’s ability to heal in that way.
This Is the End was such a violent comedy that the film was nearly given an NC-17 rating, which would have killed any chance at box office success. Much to the surprise of Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, the MPAA gave the film an R rating, despite a host of coarse language, violence, and graphic nudity throughout the movie.
The film grossed over $126 million at the box office against a budget of only $32 million, making it a massive success. This Is the End received a highly positive response from critics and audiences alike, and even went on to be featured as the backdrop of an interactive maze exhibit at Universal Studios Hollywood in 2015.
This Is The End 2?
While Seth Rogen has publicly expressed that the chance of a This Is The End sequel is highly unlikely, Evan Goldberg still seems to believe another film in the franchise could be possible. Either way, if you and a bunch of your closest friends are looking for something to watch, consider checking out This Is the End, which is available to stream on Netflix now.
