The Interview

Despite the doomed controversy surrounding it, 'The Interview' is a pretty cool & funny film, that deserved a wider release. Its limited release may restrict its appeal, but I'd suggest anyone who wants to laugh on Christmas, should check this one out.

'The Interview' Synopsis: Dave Skylark and producer Aaron Rapoport run the celebrity tabloid show "Skylark Tonight." When they land an interview with a surprise fan, North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un, they are recruited by the CIA to turn their trip to Pyongyang into an assassination mission.

'The Interview' has its share of hiccups. Firstly, the concept itself, would raise eye-brows & the sequences involving the dictator, are quite shocking, even though its told in all good humor. One more thing, the excessive violence in the narrative puts off you. The bloodshed could've easily been calmer.

But on the plus side, 'The Interview' is quite a joyride! Seth Rogen's Story, is nicely complimented by a mostly laugh-out-loud Screenplay Written by Dan Sterling. There are moments of pure hilarity, as well as moments involving shocking dialogue. Rogen & Evan Goldberg's Direction is perfect. Cinematography is awesome. Editing is rightly done. Art Design is excellent.

Performance-Wise: Rogen is in very good form, delivering above expectations. James Franco is a complete riot. His over-the-top, loud performance as the self-obsessed TV-Anchor, brings the house down on numerous occasions. Lizzy Caplan is first-rate. Randall Park is another topper as the megalomaniac dictator. His scenes with Franco, are truly funny. Diana Bang is stupendous, she unknowingly steals the show!

On the whole, 'The Interview' has moments of shock & gore, but there is also a lot of humor in here, that does the trick.

-The Interview, maybe you have heard of it, follows two idiots, played by James Franco and Seth Rogan, who host a talk show, when one day they are invited to interview Kim Jong-un. This prompts the CIA to recruit the two to 'take out' the leader of North Korea.

-I was happy to watch The Interview just to support the film industry really, but it turns out that it came with a pretty hilarious film! -The story, mainly the concept, does not wear out like Let's Be Cops, but actually gets better and better.

-The pace is pretty good and the film does not waste time. I did feel like one scene dragged, but one out of an entire film is not too bad! -The acting is especially funny with James Franco and Randall Park, who played Kim. However Seth Rogan just played the SAME. FREAKING. CHARACTER. Yeah I hate him. Anyway.

-The music was very Tarantino-esque, therefore I loved it.

-The film had me laughing right off the bat and, aside from some parts that just weren't funny, was generally hilarious throughout. Even the ending was funny, satisfying, and overall well done.

-The biggest negative is the content. It is a Seth Rogan comedy, so it is rated R. It is not that violent and only has some very brief, distant nudity. However, there is a lot of language in the film. There are some pretty iffy jokes, but it's mainly just language throughout that gives it its rating.

-So if you don't mind language and are looking for an actually funny film that is entertaining and takes an original concept to great use, The Interview is totally worth seeing in thea- oh wait, nevermind. Well you can rent it on YouTube, to it is worth that! I would honestly give The Interview an 8/10. No joke.

Honestly, I wasn't impressed with the trailer and thought this movie was going to be stupid. But this movie is hilarious! I found myself laughing out loud at least every few minutes or so. If you don't like Seth Rogen's brand of humor or raunchy comedies then you won't like this movie. However, if you loved Pineapple Express or This Is The End, then you will probably love this movie too. Most people who hate this movie went in expecting the wrong thing because of all the hype. The Interview hits all of marks you would expect a Seth Rogen comedy to. Crazy action scenes? Check. Ridiculous characters? Check. Funny jokes with an occasional heartfelt serious moment? Check.

Sure there are some moments that are too over the top or that go on for too long but all in all really funny. James Franco as the idiot is really good. Reminded me of South Park with their take on a dictator. How do you make fun of them? Turn them into everything they hate.

Of course this movie isn't Wag the Dog or some smart political commentary or satire movie because it was never intended to be. It's a comedy from Seth Rogan. That miserable SOB Kim Jon Un just turned it into that. As he should be offended since his country doesn't have freedom of speech and I'm sure he's never been criticized in his entire life. I only wish that they made fun of how fat that pathetic little man is, because that's such an easy target and beyond the hair adds to his goofy unthreatening, ungodly appearance. Really a missed opportunity, the fact that he says that he doesn't pee or poop and that he is a God and that he is really fat is too funny. you wonder if because he doesn't have to go to the bathroom that it's still inside of him and that's why he's such a fat piece of crap.

"The Interview" (2014 release; 112 min.) brings the story of how an entertainment reporter Dave Skylark (played by James Franco) and his producer Aaron Rapoport (played by Seth Rogen) get an opportunity to interview Kim Jong-un. the "Supreme Leader" of North Korea. As the movie opens, we see a young girl (maybe 7 or 8) sing a patriotic song for North Korean officials. The song turns hilariously into an anti-America rant. Soon thereafter, we see Skylark interview Eminem (another hilarious scene). When Skylark and Rapoport find out that Jng-un is a big fan of the show, they manage an invite to North Korea. The CIA then pays a visit and convinces the guys that they need to "take out" Jong-un. At this point we're barely 20 min. into the movie but to tell you more would spoil your viewing experience.

Couple of comments: at this point as much needs to be said about the events surrounding the limited release of the movie as about the movie itself. Let's start with the movie itself: first and foremost, I had heard and read mixed things about the movie, so when my (grown) kids and I went to see it on Christmas day, I had pretty low expectations. Turns out the movie is actually not nearly as bad as I had been led the believe. Yes, there is stupid "potty" humor and yes, it's all very much over the top. But there are zingers left and right that will have you smile if not laugh out loud. One of the many, many examples: when Jong-un and Skylark are taking a tour of Jong-un's place, at some point they come across a huge tank. Comments Jong-un: "That was a gift to my grandfather by Stalin". Replies Skylark: "in our country, we pronounce that Stallone", ha! And on and on. Randall Park as Kim Jong-un is outstanding. Kudos also to Set Rogen, who also co-rwote and co-directed the movie.

As to the limited release, I at first was horrified that Sony gave in to the threats, but felt better when the limited Christmas day release was announced. The movie played on one screen at my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati, and it's a good thin I had bought tickets on-line beforehand, as the matinée screening was sold out (as were all other screenings, apparently). The crowd was really into it, laughing and hollering and whooping it up. When the end titles started rolling, the crowd even gave an applause. In all, this truly was a "movie event", and all three of us were very happy we were part of it. "The Interview" is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!