We haven’t done an in-depth movie episode for a while but all found we had strong feelings about This is the End so why not do a podcast about it? If you missed the film in theatres, we should warn you that there are spoilers a-plenty in this episode. From beginning to end. Spoilers spoilers spoilers. There’s only one thing that we don’t spoil but by mentioning that we aren’t going to spoil it, we kind of spoil it. Once we get done spoiling the film, we read five answers from our lisener Graham Leathers!
I also saw TITE. I liked it more than y’all seemed to; I’d give it probably a 7.5 or 8 out of 10. I think part of that is because I picked up immediately that “Oh, this is the Rapture, and of course all these horrible Hollywood stereotypes are [ahem] left behind.”
I did think the second act dragged a bit, but it picks up when Craig Robinson gets taken up to heaven and they realize there’s still a chance. Because watching genuinely horrible TRY to be self-sacrificing was kinda funny.
Jay’s last bit — “Anything?” — also got a laugh from me, because it was set up so well right at the start of the movie.
Mostly, I wanted a fun, kinda dumb popcorn movie, and that’s what I got. No complaints here.
I liked the movie’s focus on the Rapture precisely because (for me) it was a terrific send-up of American right-wing Christian fanaticism: “OK, let’s say the Rapture is real. This is what it would look like. Pretty silly, isn’t it?” It’s the argument by reductio ad absurdum rendered as comedy, and it worked for me because I felt like I was recognizing a large, real, and scary part of American culture being portrayed — and dissected — on screen. I especially like how vengeful right-wing morality is contrasted with the stereotype of hippy-dippy left-wing Hollywood liberalism, and it turns out they’re mirror images of self-indulgent wish-fulfillment.
And anyway, Channing Tatum made it all worthwhile. And the big flaming demon dicks.
(I’m easy that way.)