The Interview review
The comedy about a plot to assassinate the leader of North Korea is brilliantly imbecilic, made even more farcical by the controversy surrounding its release
(From Columbia Pictures)
Only in a Seth Rogen film could Eminem coming out as a homosexual be as monumental as Kim Jong-un launching a nuclear missile. At which point, the question has to be asked - is this really the film that inspired the hack on Sony? It's true, The Interview is a tasteless, anally obsessed comedy, but it is still able to convey some powerful messages, not just about the leader of North Korea, but also the US media.
Seth Rogen is Aaron Rapoport, a producer of a trashy tabloid show that has Dave Skylark (James Franco) as its idiotic host. Aaron is becoming increasingly disillusioned with their standard of content and now desires something more ‘serious’. So when the opportunity to interview Kim Jong-un (Randall Park) arises, he and Dave can barely contain their bromantic glee. The CIA soon intervenes however, politely requesting that they assassinate the dictator with a poison-filled handshake.
The proverbial spanner is Dave discovering Kim is actually incredibly fun to be around, offering rides in his Stalin era tank, shooting down trees and sleeping with the various women at his disposal. But of course, this is a master of manipulation at work.
Expectedly, this isn't a wittily written piece of satire. The Interview actually attacks the subject of a totalitarian dictatorship head on, with Team American-esque attitude. "Kim must die, it's the American way.” insists a patriotic Dave. And there's even room for hard-hitting facts, such as the supreme leader depriving his people of food and filling North Korean media with propaganda.
But writers Rogen and Dan Sterling have more important things to focus on, like butts. They also think it’s hilarious to turn Kim into a Katy Perry lover with daddy issues – and they’re right. The brutal dictator breaking down in tears to the lyrics “Do you ever feel like a plastic bag” is undeniably funny.
The Interview is brilliantly imbecilic, made even more farcical by the controversy surrounding its release. It may be the film’s graphic dénouement that sparks outrage, but when one of its longest scenes features the anal insertion of a care package, the joke really is on the hackers.
Follow Chris @CynicalCME
