Directed by: Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg
Starring: James Franco, Seth Rogen, Lizzy Caplan, Randall Park, Diana Bang, Eminem, Rob Lowe
Seth Rogen and James Franco are engaging, talented actors. That makes it all the more frustrating to watch The Interview and observe that it follows the Rogen playbook step by step. Rogen, who co-directed, co-wrote, and stars in the movie, litters The Interview with homoerotic jokes, jokes about inserting objects into the anus, smoking weed, slow motion shots of characters partying, gratuitous depiction of bodily fluids, and over-the-top violence. It is lazy, relying on gags which weren't all that funny the fifth time you've seen them.
The only reason The Interview isn't forgotten by now is the media scrutiny surrounding its release in 2014. It was due for a Christmas release, then pulled prior to release and sent straight to VOD following the hacking of Sony executive's emails. Kim Jong-Un was also not a fan of the movie, likely because it is a comedy spoofing him. If there is one thing The Interview has going for it, it's that it can't possibly make the North Korean dictator look any worse than he already does.
The plot: Famed talk show host Dave Skylark (Franco), who has a knack for somehow drawing out newsworthy admissions from his guests (For example: Eminem, playing himself, admits to being gay), is contacted by the North Korean government because Kim is apparently a fan of the show and wants to be interviewed by Dave. It's a genuine offer, and Dave and his producer/BFF Aaron Rapoport (Rogen) celebrate landing the biggest guest in their show's history when the CIA comes calling. Since Dave and Aaron will be close to Kim, they want him to assassinate the dictator using a stealth poison smuggling in through, well, you'll see.
Once Dave and Aaron arrive in North Korea, Dave is met by Kim (Park and they hang out for a day. Kim disarms Dave by presenting himself as a misunderstood dictator who loves Katy Perry, basketball, strippers, margaritas, and urinates and defecates like the rest of us. Dave has second thoughts about killing Kim, but Aaron tries to keep Dave focused on the task at hand. Kim is said to be a master manipulator, you see, and this is part of Kim's playbook. Soon, after uncovering evidence which proved Kim's claims that his people aren't starving were false, Dave is back on board.
Despite the energy the actors exude, The Interview falls flat. Could it have worked as a blistering satire on the media and North Korea? Possibly, but The Interview relies far too heavily on bodily functions, slapstick, and the list of Rogen favorites detailed in the first paragraph. Instead, we have an overly complicated comedy with no laughs which plays more like a Seth Rogen greatest hits package.
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