By: Robert Murphy
Despite all the hype and controversies over the latest love child of James Franco and Seth Rogan, I had every intention of seeing the movie for myself before it became the scandal for the end of 2014. After watching it though you will feel the sensation that you were expecting to get from it and that is the sheer idea that a movie like this caused such a fuss to begin. Aaron Rapaport (Seth Rogan) plays side kick and long time producer to the TV celebrity gossip show, Skylark Tonight, the host of which is none other than Dave Skylark (James Franco). The two have created a successful life for one another but it isn't till the celebration of their 100th show that Aaron feels like he's just creating smutty nonsense for the star studded masses. Seeing this disgust effect his friend prompts Skylark to do some research and try to give him a real chance for a real interview and the lucky winner just so happens to be the world's most infamous name at the moment, Kim Jong-Un. The leader of North Korea turns out to be a big fan of the American television scene and Dave Skylark is one of his favorite people to watch, leading the two on a journey for the possibly the interview of the century.
The mission turns into a spy comedy quickly though once the CIA contacts Aaron and Dave to assassinate the leader during their trip, the idea of which is funny enough to think about but is rather short lived. The expected happens from here on out, the two will likely screw up a few times along the way and that Dave being the simple minded one will fall for Kim Jong-Un. Yes, a bromance like Rogan's and Franco's forms between the world leader and talk show host and they go around enjoying the finer things of North Korea, hot woman, drugs and alcohol. Making the story out to be the idea that Kim is just a bro who is stuck in a bad situation and one who maybe just needed a good friend and also have his daddy love him a little more when he was growing up. The series of failures that follow the story to kill Kim prove to be nothing but one of escapades that will make you chuckle and then it is on to the next one. The plot barely strings together as you watch along and at one point the CIA sends in a drown to help the two out and it soars close enough to Kim Jong-Un's palace that I thought, "Why didn't you just bomb the place if the guy is such a threat?"
Once the pretenses get dropped though and Dave sees through the sugar coated parade that Kim has clearly put on for him and Aaron, you would things would kick into high gear but in actuality it's the opposite. An attempt at gratuitous and disgusting violence and flopped humor begins to break out, the fight scene between Aaron and a particularly feisty technical manager being the worst of it all. The fight drags out for the longest time and involves Aaron getting two fingers bitten off, which grow back in the last scene of the movie apparently and also leads the technician to have a joystick style control shoved up his rectum after he lands on top of it. The whole experience leaving me scared as it flipped between that and Dave flopping through his interview with Kim who cries, craps his pants and storms off to destroy the western coast of the US. It's just enough to make you wish you had a theater to walk out of in a way as the film winds down it's last moments with a dramatic tank scene set to Katy Perry's "Firework".
What I can say for The Interview is the impressive array of stars on screen that make use of what little screen time they're given as Franco and Rogan attempt their brand of humor for 112 minutes. Lizzy Caplan perhaps being the most name worthy for myself as the CIA operative that tries to get the assassination off without a hitch and actually save Rogan and Franco from certain death as well. Diana Bang as Kim Jong Un's chief of propaganda however makes probably the most impact for the film as she attempts to save her country by using the two to prove to North Korea that Kim is not a good leader and far from a God. Seeing your idol and leader of your nation poop his pants in front of you wouldn't really be the thing to do it I would think but never the less it inspires the uprising of the nation in the movie but just makes you realize again what you're watching.
In the end, I don't know if North Korea is responsible for The Interview getting pulled or not but if they actually sat down and watched it I think they would just feel bad that it was ever a thing to begin with just like the rest of us. The movie does have it's chuckle moments of course as you might expect but really it all just feels like it was trying to hard to make light of the situation the world is in. The foul mouth and sexual escapades of Franco and Rogan are best left in the United States where they won't bother the rest of the world and just leave it that.
Once the pretenses get dropped though and Dave sees through the sugar coated parade that Kim has clearly put on for him and Aaron, you would things would kick into high gear but in actuality it's the opposite. An attempt at gratuitous and disgusting violence and flopped humor begins to break out, the fight scene between Aaron and a particularly feisty technical manager being the worst of it all. The fight drags out for the longest time and involves Aaron getting two fingers bitten off, which grow back in the last scene of the movie apparently and also leads the technician to have a joystick style control shoved up his rectum after he lands on top of it. The whole experience leaving me scared as it flipped between that and Dave flopping through his interview with Kim who cries, craps his pants and storms off to destroy the western coast of the US. It's just enough to make you wish you had a theater to walk out of in a way as the film winds down it's last moments with a dramatic tank scene set to Katy Perry's "Firework".
What I can say for The Interview is the impressive array of stars on screen that make use of what little screen time they're given as Franco and Rogan attempt their brand of humor for 112 minutes. Lizzy Caplan perhaps being the most name worthy for myself as the CIA operative that tries to get the assassination off without a hitch and actually save Rogan and Franco from certain death as well. Diana Bang as Kim Jong Un's chief of propaganda however makes probably the most impact for the film as she attempts to save her country by using the two to prove to North Korea that Kim is not a good leader and far from a God. Seeing your idol and leader of your nation poop his pants in front of you wouldn't really be the thing to do it I would think but never the less it inspires the uprising of the nation in the movie but just makes you realize again what you're watching.
In the end, I don't know if North Korea is responsible for The Interview getting pulled or not but if they actually sat down and watched it I think they would just feel bad that it was ever a thing to begin with just like the rest of us. The movie does have it's chuckle moments of course as you might expect but really it all just feels like it was trying to hard to make light of the situation the world is in. The foul mouth and sexual escapades of Franco and Rogan are best left in the United States where they won't bother the rest of the world and just leave it that.
Good:
- Co-stars to Franco and Rogan's attempt at humor deserve recognition for their roles and willingness to be a part of the flop film
- The occasional laugh here and there
Bad:
- Plot barely strings together with one off jokes and escapades for Franco and Rogan
- Lewd, foul mouthed and sexual reference every where you go
- If dootie and poo poo jokes are where comedy is at now then I don't want to be a part of it
Scully Rating: 3.0 out of 10
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