If you’re a fan of the humor in movies like This is the End and Pineapple Express, you’ll enjoy the
Seth Rogen and James Franco-starring The Interview. If not,
you probably won’t find much to your liking. It’s a film full of that broad,
crass, bro-style humor that these guys are most known for, and it’s fun, with a
ballsy hook, but it’s nothing earth shattering, and is only going to be
remembered as the movie that pissed off a petulant little dictator and got Sony
hacked all to hell.
Franco plays smarmy, cheesy talk show host Dave Skylark,
more concerned with the latest celebrity scandal than anything going on in the
world. Rogen is his bff and sidekick Aaron Rappaport, Dave’s producer who
desperately wants to do something relevant, to report hard news. He gets his
chance when they learn North Korean ruler Kim Jong-un (Randall Park) is a fan
and they get an interview with the most reclusive man in the known world. This
generates a ton of interest, including from the CIA and Agent Lacey (Lizzy
Caplan), who really would appreciate it if these two gentlemen would
assassinate a dangerous, volatile dictator for them, thanks.
What follows is essentially a fish out of water story as
these two untrained buffoons dick-and-fart-joke their way through a delicate
international situation in a foreign country, figure out how, or even if, to
kill a man, and try not to get dead in the process. At it's best, this is reminiscent of Spies Like Us. It’s crude, bawdy, and
often clever, but it also relies on tropes you’ve seen often from Rogen and his
co-director Evan Goldberg—there a lot of canted frames while characters walk
and some song you forgot existed plays. The whole thing is longer than it needs
to be and drags in places, especially where Dave waffles back and forth about
killing Kim, who may or may not simply be misunderstood and not all that bad of
a dude.
Rogen plays his standard goofy, underperforming schlub, while
Franco does his thing, playing a sleazy asshole while still managing to be
charming and charismatic enough that you can’t hate him. This skill probably
comes in handy when he’s pitching his latest William Faulkner adaptation,
recreations of gay porn, or whatever off-the-wall project or projects he’s got
lined up next.
They’re very obviously trying to be shocking, and thought a
movie about killing Kim Jong-un would do the trick. What they didn’t realize is
exactly how well their idea would work. Whoever is behind the Sony hack, North
Korea or someone else, the filmmakers certainly got their wish, and then some,
catching the attention of the entire world, just not necessarily in the way they
hoped.
Because of the controversy surrounding the threats of
violence, movie theater chains pulling their support, and Sony initially
cancelling the release, The Interview is always going to
have a place in history. If you can get through the buzz, hype, and
controversy, you’ll find a silly, enjoyable movie—again, if you like the people
involved, you know what you’re getting and will have a good time here. Though
there’s a unique, attention-grabbing gimmick, the whole thing is ultimately forgettable
overall. Even though The Interview is destined to be the
most memorable movie of 2014, that’s the only way it has any hope of being
remembered. [Grade: B-]
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