““This Is The End” Is An Odd Duck.  It’s Not Quite A Vanity Project, And There Are Even Hints Of A Good Idea Or Two Among The Occasional Demon Penis.”

What to do…What to do.

I originally set out this morning with the intention of seeing “The Lone Ranger,” because I couldn’t believe that it’s was irredeemably bad as some have said – including the folk at Durnmoose Movie Musings, whom I respect – though I wasn’t exactly keen on it.

So, after my workout, I just went to to the theater – without checking the time anything was playing  – with the intention of seeing whatever was showing closest to the time that I arrived.

I arrived at about 1600, and “This Is The End” was showing at 1700, so there you go.

“This Is The End,” directed by Even Goldberg and Seth Rogan, I had assumed was a vanity project, which studios give to stars that have little to actually say, and the clout to get a multimillion dollar picture made despite that fact.

Having actually seen the film, I am not quite so sure.  It’s not a funny film, in and of itself, though there are quite a few funny moments.  What strikes me as most interesting is the way that it plays with the public personas of the characters, which happen to be based upon – somewhat – Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, Jonah Hill, Danny McBride, James Franco and Craig Robinson (who’s very funny, though since there are virtually no other African-American comedians in the film – other than Robinson and Kevin Hart – it makes Robinson’s survival almost academic).

It’s not a great movie, but it’s more than a vanity project.  It tries to be cohesive and most of the time, even tells a linear and logical story.

Heck, it even succeeds on occasion.

That being said, I have to give a shout-out to Channing Tatum, who clearly isn’t afraid to do things that are just a bit contrary to his image as the Next Great Action Hero (if “White House Down” hasn’t already done that for him).