Film Review: “The Interview”

The-Interview-2014-Movie-PosterAfter all the hype and controversy, Sony Pictures finally made the right decision to release their comedy The Interview. The past decade, we have found Seth Rogan dishing out many comedies, and this time through he’s reunited with his buddy James Franco in this bold new approach to comedy. Rogan and Franco seem to be the best stoner comedy duo since Cheech and Chong, but this time, they tackle politics. So after the whole North Korea debacle, how does the movie live up to the hype?

Yes, the comedy formula they use is similar to movies like Pineapple Express and This Is The End but they take a different approach as James Franco plays famous talk show host Dave Skylark of “Skylark Tonight” where they do intimate interviews with celebrities. Seth Rogan plays his best friend and producer Aaron Rapoport. After their ratings peak with an exclusive interview with rapper Eminem, which is possibly one of the funniest parts in the movie, (props to Eminem for making the appearance) Skylark is offered the opportunity to interview Kim Jong-un, played by Randall Park, in North Korea; it turns out Kim Jong-un is a huge fan of his show. A CIA agent played by Lizzy Caplan, approaches Skylark and Rapoport request that they assassinate Jong-un. During their whole mission, Skylark is torn over his mission because he bonded with Jong-un before their interview which adds a nice element to the story and conflict in the movie.

The humor in the movie is great and that alone would make this one of the best comedies of 2014. The story was a little predictable, but the charm of Rogan and Franco really carries throughout the movie. The real star of this film is James Franco, not only will you get plenty of laughs throughout the film, he also shows off his superb acting skills that we have seen in films like 127 Hours, and the sets and props to this movie is fascinating; if you were to do research on North Korea, some of the buildings, hotels, castles, statues, and monuments seen in this movie appear to be quite accurate.

After watching this movie, I honestly don’t see what the big deal for Sony Pictures to pull the movie; it should have been released as planned. You can’t let some crazy dictator affect our way of life and this movie is a prime example of freedom of speech, freedom of expression, and art. Years back, the movie Team America: World Police had a similar story, but no controversy around the release of that film.

Bottom line, this movie is comedic genius, and directors Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogan’s art for this movie should never be denied of a full fledged, proper release. I would highly recommend this movie, especially if you’re a fan of Seth Rogan’s previous work.

The Interview is now playing in select movie theaters, mainly independent cinemas, and now available on Video On Demand.

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