'The Interview' (2015)

"Kim must die, it's the American way."

James Franco & Seth Rogen have to assassinate North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un and save the world from nuclear destruction… 

Don’t worry, you read that right.

Talk show host Dave Skylark and his producer Aaron Rapoport are recruited by the CIA to assassinate North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un after they manage to land an interview with him for worldwide broadcast.

Let’s just say, I was not expecting much from this movie.

However, in a very strange turn of events, I actually quite enjoyed ‘The Interview’.

It is so hard to tear this film apart because it does it to itself. It doesn’t take itself seriously in the slightest and has so much fun it’s hard not to enjoy it. 

James Franco and Seth Rogen are a pair that always make me laugh, despite how hard I try not to. They are always criticised for only playing slightly different versions of themselves in their films but I wouldn’t want it any other way. 
They are the comedy duo that are crude, funny and often outrageous.

They know exactly what they are and they deliver exactly what is expected of them.

James Franco steals the show for me as tabloid show presenter - Dave Skylark. He’s idiotic and charming and that is what we love about James Franco. It’s interesting to watch the contrast between Dave Skylark and Seth Rogen’s character Aaron Rapoport. Aaron wants to dive into some more serious news rather than the celebrity junk that they’ve been covering for the last ten years. They always play those contrasting characters but I felt that it worked a lot better in ‘The Interview’ than it has in the past. They tend to blur the line in their other films but they stuck to it pretty well in this one.

The way Kim Jong-un is portrayed in ‘The Interview’ is just fantastic. The fact that he’s secretly a huge fan of Skylark’s talk show is perfect. The idea that a ruthless dictator actually enjoys watching Dave Skylark’s talk show talk about Eminem being gay or Kim Kardashian's ass just makes me laugh. 

Kim Jong-un is played by Randall Park and he does a solid job. He’s funny while being intimidating and really looks the part. Respect for this guy as he must have received a ridiculous amount of heat from Korea for playing the dictator in the way he does... 

The film was just under two hours long but it didn’t feel like it at all. The film ended exactly when it needed to and most of the jokes didn’t drag. They hit their punchlines and got out of there when it was right, which is refreshing for comedies of late as they tend to drag on and lose their comedy value. It was borderline repetitive with a few recurring jokes but nothing to worry about in the grand scheme of things.

For all of it’s ridiculousness and melodrama, ‘The Interview’ actually comes home with a logical and relevant ending that is both political and interesting which surprised me. It explores the ideology of the Korean dictatorship and maturely deals with it… all the while being totally immature and tasteless. The thought was there though!

I can’t talk about ‘The Interview’ and not talk about the controversy surrounding the release.

There was obviously a lot in the news about the Sony hacks and threats that were happening around the release, which did raise a lot of questions. There was fear of cinemas being bombed and even world war 3 at one point but, with the release being on time in the end and the hush hush of the controversy since then, I suspect the world may have been duped by a clever marketing ploy. 

Don’t get me wrong, it worked extremely well but it was risky nonetheless.

The controversy helped the movie in a big way. When the jokes are being thrown around about North Korea you can’t help but cringe in horror and laugh at the same time. There were some serious groans and sharp inhales in the cinema as we all wondered how they got away with such blatant satire and ridicule. 

At the end of the day, it is satire. If you treat it seriously it just makes you look silly. Everything about ‘The Interview’ is ridiculous.  

‘The Interview’ is tasteless, outrageous and, admittedly, very funny. 

It dips into classic Seth Rogen and James Franco style in the middle of the movie (which wasn’t as funny) but it’s first and last act were ludicrous and hilarious which made up for the slightly indulgent middle section of the film.

The racism in the film is bad but it takes no prisoners. For every joke about North Korea there is a dig at America too. The plot is a huge comment on American culture and attitude which helps restore the balance. The entire film is ironic.

You know exactly what you’re going to get with a James Franco/Seth Rogen film so if you’re expecting something different then you’re going to be disappointed. 

Did this film need to be made?

Absolutely not.

Am I glad that it was made?

Absolutely.

Don’t take it seriously, just take it for what it is and you’ll have fun.

"You're going to have to put it in your ass."