The 2012 movie Seth Rogen knew was doomed: “This is not making us laugh”

Seth Rogen said he realised while filming *The Guilt Trip* that the comedy was not making the cast laugh, despite his belief in the script. The 2012 road-trip film’s disappointing reception underscored his difficulty working within the milder, PG-13 style he had tried to make funny.

Rogen had risen to prominence with *Superbad* and *Knocked Up*, which helped drive demand for similar comedies. *The Guilt Trip*, co-starring Barbra Streisand, barely recouped its production costs, and Streisand received a Golden Raspberry nomination. Rogen returned to commercial and critical success the following year with *This Is the End*, which made almost $100 million in profit.