14 DAY TRIAL // For the past month, we’ve been hearing a lot about Sony Pictures and its most recent release, the action comedy “The Interview,” because hackers from Guardians Of Peace broke into their servers and leaked stolen data in an attempt to block the release of the film. They considered it a “threat to international peace” because it detailed an assassination plot against North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
Eventually, Sony released the film in select theaters in the US and Canada, but also online on several platforms, so that, in the end, everyone got a chance to see what the fuss was all about, even if only out of curiosity. And, trust me, once you’ve seen it, your most likely reaction to it will be, “This is what it was all about?! This?!”
“The Interview” isn’t a bad movie but it’s far from what you might think it is based on pre-release hype. This is not a political satire or any kind of satirical piece at all: this is a silly comedy, a stupid film packed with fart and poo jokes, Hollywood at its dumbest. It’s highly entertaining (until it’s not anymore), but it’s low-brow and numbing.
North Korea should have had more dignity than to find offense with such a dumb comedy, if anything.
Outstanding chemistry between leads
“The Interview” sees Dave Skylark (James Franco) as the host of an Extra-type of celebrity TV show. He works with his best friend, producer Aaron Rapaport (Seth Rogen), a man who once thought he’d get to make “real” news shows and not produce infotainment on topics like Matthew McConaughey’s attempts to have his way with a goat, Rob Lowe’s serious wig game, or Eminem’s gayness.
Aaron is thinking of leaving Skylark Tonight, so Dave is pressed to find something to get him to stay on, by proving that they can also make “real” news shows. He finds out that the man of the hour, Kim Jong-un, is actually a fan of his show, so he sends an email to his people – and to his surprise, he gets an answer in the positive, an invitation to North Korea to interview the Supreme Leader himself. Hence the title of the film.
If that were all, hackers would have never even bothered with the film, as you may imagine. The CIA sends its prettiest agent, Agent Lacey (Lizzy Caplan), to get these two morons (because that’s what they are, at the end of the day) to carry a patch with poison and thus kill Kim when they shake hands with him. Dave and Aaron agree.
It’s not so much the story that makes “The Interview” stand out among other comedies released this year, as the amazing chemistry between the two leads. This is Franco and Rogen’s fourth movie together and it further solidifies their reputation as one of the best comedy duos around.
Not even when jokes become really scatological or painfully unfunny, not even when the film loses momentum towards the end of the second act (because it tries to do too much and falls apart), do these two lose their chemistry: Franco’s ignorant, shallow, and incredibly dumb Skylark plays perfectly off Rogen’s neurotic, awkward, and over-eager Rapaport.
Franco and Rogen are brilliant in their roles and they are even more so together. In fact, if there’s anything that saves “The Interview,” it’s the chemistry they share.
Humanizing Kim Jong-un
The other thing would be Randall Park’s outstanding performance as Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un, he who does not poop or pee, he who does not even have an anus, and who secretly listens to Katy Perry in his tank and believes Margaritas are gay.
Living secluded in his castle / command center in North Korea and surrounded by minions, Kim Jong-un is more humanized and has more depth than even the two leads, in an attempt to make the assassination harder on these.
Park plays the part with relish, whether he’s ranting against the world and planning to nuke it into oblivion just so he can feel better about himself, or opening up to Skylark about his abusive brother and the people who bullied him for being fat. Or, you know, throwing an orgy for his new BFF, because that too happens.
Fun but not memorable times
Based on a script by Seth Rogen and Dan Sterling, and directed by Rogen and Evan Goldberg, “The Interview” is fast-paced and action-packed, but uneven and bumpy, frustrating. There is no build-up for a climax, so the pace is accelerated from start to finish, which makes it taxing, dull on the viewer halfway in its second act.
Presumably this is because Sony kept asking for edits until the film got a shape they were comfortable with releasing, as leaked emails revealed. Somewhere along the way, the narrative structure was lost, so the film feels more like a marathon than a story.
Still, it’s fun throughout and downright hilarious at certain points. But people won’t remember it for its wit or how funny it was: “The Interview” will for ever be the movie that prompted North Korea to launch a cyber attack against Sony Pictures, and that’s probably not the accolade it was going for.
Rating and runtime
“The Interview” runs for 112 minutes and is rated R for pervasive language, crude and sexual humor, nudity, some drug use, and bloody violence. A clean trailer is embedded below, and a red band one is available on YouTube, so you can get an idea of what to expect. *Please note that discretion is heavily recommended when viewing it, because it contains graphic language that might offend.
“The Interview” came out in limited theaters in the US and Canada on December 25, and is now available online on Google Play, YouTube, the Sony website, and iTunes.
The Good
Randall Park’s Kim Jong-un is outstanding.
The Bad
“The Interview” is a fun but very bumpy ride, but it deserves a chance if only to see what the fuss is all about.
The Truth
Perhaps the biggest appeal of “The Interview,” besides the good chemistry between the leads, is a certain feel of “oh my God, I can’t believe they did / said that.” Watching it feels like the grown-up version of doing something you know your parents wouldn’t approve of.
