Every once in a while, I’ll re-visit a film I had mixed feelings about in the past to see whether it has improved with age. I had been intending to re-watch This at some point and reading Seth Rogen’s Yearbook memoir/autobiography/whatever it’s called was the catalyst behind it showing up in the simulation for me to view. Seriously. I finished his book in one day (excellent, fun read, see below), and the next day This was added to Crave.
If you don’t know the premise of the movie, all the actors in it are playing “themselves” and there’s an apocalyptic disaster during James Franco’s housewarming party that they’re all attending. Fictionalized, hilariously fucked-up, and gross versions of themselves. It’s basically “Judd Apatow’s Apocalypse” with no Apatow involvement, other than pretty much discovering most of the cast, so to speak.
I’d say the first half-to-two-thirds of the film I really enjoy, as it’s always a good time to watch actors take the piss out of themselves. It gets a bit weird when you see the levels they go to, though, in particular Franco. It’s cool to be game for everything, sure, but dude did not come out of this movie looking good at all. It was like a confirmation of all his real-life rumours. And the Emma Watson stuff, man, she was right to leave the set, I don’t see how anyone can make rape jokes. It’s disgusting AT BEST.
The Michael Cera stuff, ridiculously over-the-top and skeevy, made me laugh so hard. There are a whole bunch of “blink and you’ll miss them cameos” in the movie, like I completely spaced on Martin Starr being in it. Paul Rudd is barely in it, but still delightful. Those parts are fun and I wish they’d have continued for the entirety of the film.
The film turns into a biblical apocalypse thing and it went from feeling real and interesting to being fake and overblown. It escalates very quickly, which was either for comedic effect or to show us all how fragile these Hollywood actors would be in the face of an actual disaster. Or maybe both.
Anyway, Seth Rogen wrote in Yearbook about how critics sometimes write hurtful things about his films. Since he and Evan Goldberg co-wrote and co-directed This, I’d like to say that while I have problems with the overall film, it is definitely entertaining, though not top-notch and it will probably continue to degrade in quality. That wasn’t hurtful, was it?
Watched on Crave
3 / 5
Mars Island 
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