Richard Dyer’s star
theory is a seminal piece of writing surrounding the question of celebrity. This is the End offers an opportunity to
apply this theory in a way rarely offered; one where the celebrities play
themselves, or versions of themselves.
This is the End, on the surface, appears incredibly self
indulgent. Writer director Seth Rogan (previously working within the anecdotal
with Superbad (2007) here, along with
his professional partner Evan Goldberg, tells the story of himself partying
with his celebrity friends in Los Angeles as the biblical apocalypse arrives.
Roughly, Dyer’s theory
can be broken down three ways. Firstly, that stars are employed purely for the
financial advantages they bring to a film. Secondly, the stars are used because
of the physical appeal they offer. Thirdly, and the idea that best applies to This is the End is the one that concerns
the intertextual relationship between stars and audiences.
The intertextuality of
a star depends not only on the roles they take, but in the persona that they
create for themselves outside of film. Via the success of the Judd Apatow films
in which Rogen and many of his This is
the End co-stars found their celebrity, they have developed the tag of
bro-mance. We, the public, see them as close friends who have found fame and
fortune together and make films with each other to great financial and often
critical success. It’s easy to find them frustrating and the success of This is the End comes from knowledge of
this. Rogen and co. all play slightly exaggerated versions of expected
celebrity (Jonah Hill’s precious Oscar nominee is especially good) while
including some added quirk, such as James Franco becoming obsessed with Rogen
following their film Pineapple Express
(2008).
What This is the End says about celebrity is
simply that we (the audience, the fans) only know the representation, not the
person. And while this message may be simply executed and become lost during the
CGI heavy final third, it is a relevant one.
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