Diary of a Fangirl: This Is The End

I think this summer is going to be where comedy reigns as King.  Also, I'm including the first half hour of "After Earth" on that list (albeit the funny in that film was totally unintentional).

"This Is the End" was hilarious, and went in totally unexpected directions.  There's no way you can guess the last three point five minutes, I guarantee it.

This is another buddy film, which writers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg seem to be great at.  And while there are several BFFs of Seth's (the character of Seth Rogen, that is) in the film, the two main ones are Jay, who's visiting in town, and James Franco, who clearly favors Seth above all others.  There's more than a gentlemanly bond going on, which makes it funnier.  Jay comes off as a petulant girlfriend, jealous of Seth's other friends, while James reveres Seth above, well, anyone.  Jonah as well is very..well just watch it.  Actually, it reminded me of "SuperBad."  In fact, I've decided to add my semi-analytical take on it at the bottom of this entry.

I will say that I wish we had more of the party scene at Franco's house.  It was...interesting, to say the least.

Things this movie has that makes it awesome:

• Sleepovers
• Possessions
• Video confessionals
• Semi-sequel/film within a film (which was extra awesome)
• The natural chemistry of real life friends

The trailers give this much away, but the film is basically about how five (sometimes six) friends survive during an apocalyptic event as James Franco's house.  Is it zombies?  Is it an apocalypse?  Is it Godzilla?  Is it aliens?  Is it something else entirely??  You'll just have to watch and see.

And now, some spoilers:

• I will never look at Michael Cera the same way again
• What the crap happened to Paul Rudd?
• I was hoping there would be a Marvel type of ending, where the characters who didn't make it ended up eating shawarma in Hell or something.
• Channing Tatum as a sex slave...gosh, he has a great ass.
• A gigantic penis.  Well, I can't say I'm surprised guys.  Wasn't surprised Jonah was the one who got it, though.

"SUPERBAD"

...Was really Super Good. Okay, I can't be the first person that typed that out.

[Warning: A review from an analytical standpoint with a few spoilers.]

Anyway, I saw this movie at least a week ago--maybe two. And, there were some funny laugh out loud moments, and it starts out as the typical teenaged guys trying to get laid before their senior is over, but first let me say that I was totally thrown that these guys were seniors in high school. This is probably due to the fact that they looked like they were actually eighteen or so (and I'm sure the Evan character really is), and I've been so jaded to those in their mid to late twenties playing teens. Those guys, as I watched them, I kept thinking "shouldn't they be playing eighth or ninth graders?"

Anyway, like I said, this film was posed under the guys of being another teen flick, but in reality, ran a lot deeper...The "teen film" genre was just the shallow end of the deep pool that is "Super Bad."
I haven't read or seen any real commentaries on this film, because I didn't want it to taint this review. But I have this to say--

"Super Bad" was not a "bromance," which is what I did see on the cover of the Red Eye. For those of you not in the know, a bromance or bromantic couple is two hetero guys who are BFFs, and the fact that they care for one another is overt. A good example would be Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson's characters in "Wedding Crashers," or Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker in the "Rush Hour" series (though they clearly didn't start out that way). But in this film, well, it was just a plain romantic comedy.

The two main characters, Seth and Evan, clearly have a love for one another that surpasses the love of two best friends- even if they are male. There are multiple indicators throughout such as the following: The fact that Seth had a penchant for drawing penises- different shapes and sizes, etc., that Seth feels that a vagina by itself is boring- he needs to see one with the insertion of a penis. Methinks he just wants to see the penis, and not feel too gay about it. In fact, this little comment alone makes me think he may be the only heterosexual man to not enjoy lesbian porn... The jealously and resentment that Seth feels when he learns that Evan and Foggel (the third wheel of this relationship/friendship) will be rooming together in college, and the fact that Evan tried to keep it a secret from Seth, knowing that it was in fact some sort of betrayal, and wishing to spare his feelings.

The drunken night they spend at Evan's place after the party. There's a brief fade out, after drunken "I love yous" given by the two, and then it's morning. Seth looks anxious, quickly wanting to leave, which is odd considering the entire film, it is his agenda to stick by Evan, and keep them together. Particularly so since Evan will be going away to a different college. Evan then looks at him like the wounded girl when the guy abandons the bed the next morning, or in "the harsh light of day," and Seth laughs it off. Then he proceeds to tell Evan that his mom has "great tits," as if to stave off the awkwardness. In my opinion, it just made it all the more awkward, and made it seem that in that moment, Seth had to prove his straightness.

Then, in the ending, the sad, lost lovers look they give each other as they separate at the mall with two girls of "interest," and then the film is over, with its montage of drawn penises.

This film was clearly a gay romantic comedy, in which the guy did not get the guy (like "My Best Friend's Wedding," but only gay), but the girl that he only thought he wanted (for both Seth and Evan). I admired the film and its gumption and courage, though I almost felt a bit disappointment...but then I realized, that the writers and the director supplied for us all that we needed to see the film for what it really is, and that it's not their fault that most people are not too quick on the uptake, and the films meaning went over most peoples heads. This movie had foreshadowing, metaphor, and a ton of unspoken language that would surpass the casual observer's eyes.

For these reasons, I give this film three stars and two thumbs up.

Seth and Evan join Dr. Christian Troy and Dr. Sean McNamara as well as Spike and Angel in the unofficial gay couples in TV and cinema. There are many others...But one must really look in order to see it.