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Review: It’s hell on Earth in ‘Rapture-Palooza’

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Don’t believe the based-on-a-true-story opening disclaimer of Paul Middleditch’s comedy “Rapture-Palooza.” The Apocalypse hasn’t happened — yet. But mankind could do worse than being lorded over by Craig Robinson’s Antichrist, a swaggering sex fiend, Vin Diesel fan and former mayoral candidate of Boise, Idaho, who dresses like the second coming of Arsenio Hall.

With the plot already spoiled by the Book of Revelations, Chris Matheson’s script focuses its energy on small, wickedly funny gags, half of which Robinson seems to have sputtered out as improv.

As our heroes, we have Lindsay (Anna Kendrick) and her boyfriend, Ben (John Francis Daley), two kids who weren’t quite good enough to get called up to heaven like Lindsay’s mom (Ana Gasteyer), who was, humiliatingly, sent back to Earth for starting a fight in the free massages line.

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Instead, they’re stuck in “not biblically referenced Seattle,” suffering the daily indignities of blood rain, cursing locusts and the Antichrist’s amorous intentions toward Lindsay, which provide the story’s thrust or, really, the story’s excuse to kill time while cracking jokes about pothead wraiths and fowl-mouthed crows. With “The Hangover’s” Ken Jeong as God and comedian Rob Corddry as an Antichrist apologist.

Sure, Satan might have blown up Orlando, Corddry insists, but at least he abolished the penny.

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‘Rapture-Palooza’

MPAA Rating: R for language including crude sexual references throughout, and for drug use.

Running time: 1 hour, 24 minutes.

Playing: At the AMC Universal Citywalk, Universal Studios.


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