Never has a movie in recent years gained so much unexpected publicity from outside events or caused this much of a stir because of its subject matter. If you were living under a rock in December of 2014 and missed it, basically there was a period of time where The Interview was never going to see the light of day because of the hack that crippled Sony, and the threats made by the hackers to attack theaters which showed the movie. It was a long, confusing, and kind of absurd saga that made one question if we weren't living in the contrived world of this comedy. It eventually led to Sony releasing the movie on all the on-demand platforms, and even releasing it into a smaller batch of theaters, an act that somehow became America's greatest triumph over North Korea ever. Weird. But anyways, despite the strangely twisted backstory surrounding this film, I'm going to ignore all of it and just review The Interview at face value.
The Interview stars James Franco and Seth Rogen as a TV talk show host and producer, respectively, who get the opportunity to do an exclusive one on one interview with the dear leader of North Korea, Kim-Jong Un. When the CIA gets wind of this they enlist Franco's Dave Skylark to secretly assassinate Un with a ricin strip (Heisenberg anyone?) during their interview. And so begins the most delicate assassination plot to be carried out by the most incompetent assassin ever.
There is a certain level of hilarity that also comes with a certain level of stupidity when it comes to James Franco/Seth Rogen collaborations that we're all familiar with. You can expect both in The Interview, but you also get to see what the zany collaborators do with almost 50 million dollars at their disposal. I don't know how much money was spent on that tank, but I do know that every dollar was totally worth it.
It could really only be Franco, Rogen, and co-director Evan Goldberg who could pull off a ridiculous comedy event of this magnitude. I'm not saying they got everything right, but it takes a group of unapologetic assholes like these to tackle North Korea like this. Sure the South Park guys did it back in 2004, but that was with puppets which makes it different I guess. It takes a group of guys who take themselves just seriously enough to get the right kind of studio and financial backing in order to intentionally make asses out of themselves for the sake of comedy. That's what happens in The Interview, but as long as I'm laughing I really don't have a problem with it.
The Interview is a flick that had me laughing from start to finish. It's so over-the-top and so mercilessly silly that you just have to accept it for what it is and enjoy the ride. Don't be expecting any sophisticated dry humor, and don't wait around for that clever wit. Just sit back and embrace the poop, butt, and dick jokes that fly in from every direction. Instead of swatting them away just bathe in the stupidity. Bathe in the absurdity and before you get angry at the lack of sophistication here, just remember how much you laughed when that Asian woman said "butthole."
As is to be expected, the James Franco and Seth Rogen bromance is the glue that holds this film together. Rogen actually shows some comedic acting chops here, with impeccable comedic timing and some of the film's most memorable moments and one liners. Franco, however, is in top form as the obnoxious "how-can-he-be-this-stupid" manchild. I really wanted to hate his WAY over-the-top persona that is the farthest thing from believable, but the bastard kept making me giggle throughout the whole damn movie. As stupid as everything that came out of his mouth was, my reactionary laughter made me realize that this kind of humor is above no one.
I could spend a lot of time here breaking down the plot and character issues that surround The Interview. There are plot holes here big enough to drive a semi through, but to dissect The Interview in those terms would be missing the overall point. This is nonsensical and unabashed comedy that, oddly enough, has a strand of surprisingly poignant satire running through it. It satirizes Western media as much as it does the North Korean government but, at the end of the day its main goal is to make you laugh via dick jokes, and cheer via tank explosions. I did both, so I guess The Interview wins.
The Interview stars James Franco and Seth Rogen as a TV talk show host and producer, respectively, who get the opportunity to do an exclusive one on one interview with the dear leader of North Korea, Kim-Jong Un. When the CIA gets wind of this they enlist Franco's Dave Skylark to secretly assassinate Un with a ricin strip (Heisenberg anyone?) during their interview. And so begins the most delicate assassination plot to be carried out by the most incompetent assassin ever.
There is a certain level of hilarity that also comes with a certain level of stupidity when it comes to James Franco/Seth Rogen collaborations that we're all familiar with. You can expect both in The Interview, but you also get to see what the zany collaborators do with almost 50 million dollars at their disposal. I don't know how much money was spent on that tank, but I do know that every dollar was totally worth it.
It could really only be Franco, Rogen, and co-director Evan Goldberg who could pull off a ridiculous comedy event of this magnitude. I'm not saying they got everything right, but it takes a group of unapologetic assholes like these to tackle North Korea like this. Sure the South Park guys did it back in 2004, but that was with puppets which makes it different I guess. It takes a group of guys who take themselves just seriously enough to get the right kind of studio and financial backing in order to intentionally make asses out of themselves for the sake of comedy. That's what happens in The Interview, but as long as I'm laughing I really don't have a problem with it.
The Interview is a flick that had me laughing from start to finish. It's so over-the-top and so mercilessly silly that you just have to accept it for what it is and enjoy the ride. Don't be expecting any sophisticated dry humor, and don't wait around for that clever wit. Just sit back and embrace the poop, butt, and dick jokes that fly in from every direction. Instead of swatting them away just bathe in the stupidity. Bathe in the absurdity and before you get angry at the lack of sophistication here, just remember how much you laughed when that Asian woman said "butthole."
As is to be expected, the James Franco and Seth Rogen bromance is the glue that holds this film together. Rogen actually shows some comedic acting chops here, with impeccable comedic timing and some of the film's most memorable moments and one liners. Franco, however, is in top form as the obnoxious "how-can-he-be-this-stupid" manchild. I really wanted to hate his WAY over-the-top persona that is the farthest thing from believable, but the bastard kept making me giggle throughout the whole damn movie. As stupid as everything that came out of his mouth was, my reactionary laughter made me realize that this kind of humor is above no one.
I could spend a lot of time here breaking down the plot and character issues that surround The Interview. There are plot holes here big enough to drive a semi through, but to dissect The Interview in those terms would be missing the overall point. This is nonsensical and unabashed comedy that, oddly enough, has a strand of surprisingly poignant satire running through it. It satirizes Western media as much as it does the North Korean government but, at the end of the day its main goal is to make you laugh via dick jokes, and cheer via tank explosions. I did both, so I guess The Interview wins.