The Interview: A Competent Comic Caper

I'm not sure if posting a review of The Interview will single me out for a North Korean hack. And yet, having watched this movie, I fail to understand what all the fuss was about. This is a perfectly run-of-the-mill Seth Rogen/James Franco comedy. Goofy, filthy, funny, and dumb. Yes, Kim Jong-Un is a character, but he isn't even vilified as he should be: he just comes off as a somewhat childish despot, who likes listening to Katy Perry and drinking margaritas. Hardly cause for political uproar.

Franco plays Dave Skylark, host of a celebrity talk show, and Rogen plays his producer, Aaron, who starts to wish they could cover more meaningful news. Upon discovering that Kim Jong-un (played by Randall Park) is a big fan of Skylark Tonight, he decides to score an interview with the North Korean dictator. The North Koreans agree, but then CIA Agent Lacey (the delightful Lizzy Caplan) arrives and asks Dave and Aaron to assist in the assassination of Kim Jong-un. Cue lots of jokes about American interference and past CIA mistakes. As much as the movie talks about the brutal North Korean regime, it pays equal attention to America's political atrocities at home and abroad and serves up some meaningful political commentary. All of which is largely buried under sophomoric humor and over-the-top histrionics, of course.

The plot is pretty basic and doesn't offer up many surprises. It is a fairly funny movie, but the satire is mostly generic and bland, nothing biting or truly insightful. The soundtrack is probably what entertained me the most, an energetic wall of pop and hip-hop that kept me going even if the plot was flagging. All of the actors are perfectly fun and likable (yes even the ones playing North Koreans) and apart from your typical Hollywood Asian stereotyping and casual racism, this is a largely inoffensive movie that would have been funny but ultimately forgettable.

The marketing department for The Interview couldn't have created this much hype if they'd tried. Despite being pulled from major theater chains, a lot more people will probably watch this movie now than if it had received a traditional theatrical release. In the film, Kim Jong-un insists on writing the script for his interview and portraying his dictatorship in the nicest light possible. The cyber attacks inspired by The Interview only show up North Korea's own ridiculousness when attempting to censor their critics, and this movie's commentary on media and politics has taken on a meta life of it's own. So if you're curious, head on over to YouTube and rent The Interview. It isn't the funniest thing you'll watch this year, but it has certainly turned into a political statement. Or something.