The Interview is totally unrealistic, utterly absurd, gratuitously violent, completely stupid, and, if you can bet past the complete and total nonsense, it is wonderfully fun.
Now, granted, I expected very little from this movie, so I received much more than I had imagined.
Also, be aware and understand that The Interview is low-brow humor. This is little more than a live action version of Team America, but it works.
The story opens revealing Dave Skylark (James Franco) as a gossipy, lowest common denominator and immensely popular talk show host. Skylark’s high points include Eminem revealing that all of his songs are really breadcrumbs toward his being gay as he outs himself to Skylark; Rob Lowe’s revelation is that he has a bald head that resembles someone’s “taint.” If you’re not chuckling to yourself all ready and you don’t know what a “taint” is, then there’s really no need for you to see The Interview because the humor doesn’t get points for being any smarter beyond that, but it still has some immensely funny moments, nevertheless.
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Aaron Rapaport (Seth Rogen) is Skylark’s producer, who yearns to do meaningful news. The two two have this odd friendship, which Skylark continually parallels to The Lord of the Rings Frodo and Sam, and at times, is very homoerotic in such a way that I would think the LGBT community would be far more outraged than the North Koreans.
Dave Skylark: This whole time I thought you were Samwise to my Frodo, but you’re just … Boromir
Aaron’ Rapaport: I don’t know who the F*** that is!
Dave Skylark: I don’t know ho Boromir is … that’s such a Boromir thing to say!
- FILM TITLE
- Directed by
Evan Goldbert
Seth Rogen - Cast
James Franco, Seth Rogen, Lizzy Caplan, Randall Park - Release Date
December 16, 2014 - Gordon’s Grade: B-
Rapaport doesn’t have to wait for too long, especially once he discovers that Skylark is loved by North Korean’s Supreme Leader, President Kim Jong-un, is an enormous fan of the show.
Kim is played hilariously by Randall Park — now, don’t go looking for any real world parallels here. I doubt if the real Supreme Leader has the love of margaritas and Katy Perry as Park’s Kim!
This sets for the primary plot as Skylark and Rapaport are convoked by Secret Agent Lacey (Lizzy Caplan) that it is their American duty to kill the North Korean leader.
There is a short and amusing training session, then the two stooges are off to North Korea to kill the supreme leader of the not-so-free-world. During their adventure they find some unlikely allies and make plenty of pee, poop and masturbation jokes.
Kim befriends and betrays Skylark and the movie climaxes with Skylark’s interview where he attempts to break “real” news!
Then, in the blink of an eye, The Interview turns into a Tarantino bloodbath, resembling the end of Inglorious Basterds. Heads are shot, fingers are bitten off, bullets shred bodies, and people are incinerated. The movie goes from low level comedy to high level violence.
Now, violence in a movie, is not much of an issue, but it is really out of place here. Up until it gets violent, there is no indication that this is going to be a violent movie. It goes from Dumb and Dumber to Django Unchained but totally lacking in any real substance.
Ultimately, the Southpark style humor is fun and mostly engaging, but the Tarantino bloodbath breaks the tone of the movie, especially in the wake of the movies grand revelation that Kim Jong-un pees, poops and has a “buttonhole” just like the rest of us.
by Gordon Shelly
