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Parents' Guide to

This Is the End

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Language, drugs, death in very funny doomsday movie.

Movie R 2013 107 minutes
This Is the End Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 17+

Based on 17 parent reviews

jdhjav
jdhjav Parent of 10-year-old
July 2, 2022
age 18+
Cause this Swears A lot
Ajai1234
Ajai1234 Adult
May 6, 2020
age 10+

This is a really great and funny film

Sort of inappropriate

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Too much violence
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
See all 17 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Seth Rogen picks up Jay Baruchel at the Los Angeles airport, hoping to show him a good time during his stay. They smoke some pot, play some video games, and then go to James Franco's house for a huge party. Franco, Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson, and other popular comedy actors are there. Jay seems uncomfortable and wants to leave, but suddenly, quakes rock the city, and blue lights beam down from the sky. Monsters start rampaging as flames lick the countryside. In Franco's house, the survivors try to make the best of their situation, but unfortunately, Danny McBride has crashed the party and is now making quick work of their provisions. If this is judgment day, can these actors learn to be good people before it's too late?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (17 ):
Kids say (54 ):

This enjoyable comedy extravaganza is a remarkable mix of monsters, visual effects, vulgar humor, and feel-good optimism. Rogen and writer Evan Goldberg, who previously teamed up on the screenplays for Superbad, Pineapple Express, The Green Hornet, and The Watch, make their co-directing debut here. At first, the novelty of watching these actors play "themselves" is good fun in itself, but eventually they turn into truly interesting characters (and probably quite unlike their real selves). As with other Rogen/Goldberg movies, this one eventually focuses on a "bromance," i.e. two guys' attempt to work past their differences and establish a lasting friendship. Amazingly, it's also about redemption and trying to become genuinely good people. Rogen and Goldberg successfully keep the jokes organic and flowing, escalating the stakes and the surprises throughout and creating a comedy for the ages in the process.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about This Is the End's apocalyptic violence. How does it affect the movie's flow and tone?

  • How does the movie portray drinking and drug use? Are there any real-life consequences?

  • Is the movie scary? Are the monsters scary? What about the end of the world?

  • How close do you believe these characters are to the real-life actors? Why do you think they all opted to play versions of themselves?

  • Why are there so many movies about the end of the world? What makes that topic interesting and/or relevant?

Movie Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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