Seth Rogen and James Franco have never particularly been known for their subtlety, particularly when they choose to collaborate. These comedic masterminds have been working together since the short-lived series Freaks and Geeks and have since become known for hit comedies including Pineapple Express and This is the End. Their calling seems to be for irreverent, over-the-top humor in which nothing is sacred. The pair derives laughs from nearly every aspect of life, and it was only a matter of time before someone, somewhere, got offended. For this reason, the December release of The Interview triggered an explosion.
The premise and plot of the film are simple and, at this point, probably secret to no one. Dave Skylark (James Franco) is the host of the popular evening talk show Skylark Tonight. After celebrating a milestone in the show’s runtime, Skylark receives word that Kim Jong Un, leader of North Korea, is a fan of his program and would like to be a guest on the show.
Skylark accepts this request, but before he departs, he and his producer Aaron (Seth Rogen) are tasked with assassinating the North Korean leader. After their initial assassination attempts fail (forcing them to spend a day hanging out with Kim Jong Un), the pair soon begins to think that maybe Kim Jong Un is a nice guy after all. As a result, they are trapped with a puzzling moral dilemma: Do they carry through with their assigned task of assassinating the leader or not? Moreover, do they believe Kim Jong Un’s cool, nice-guy demeanor to be legitimate, or is it merely a facade?
It’s pretty clear from the onset that the film isn’t particularly deep or revolutionary. It simply plays up situational irony in a real-world political climate. Before I continue, the elephant in the room must be addressed: the controversy surrounding the film.
Prior to its release, The Interview drew plenty of controversy as onlookers began to question the moral value of basing an irreverent comedy around the assassination of a current political figure. These feelings were only exemplified when North Korean responses to the film disparaged its very existence, threatening to take action if the film were to be made.
After Sony Pictures was hacked this past December by parties unknown, threats from the hackers to movie theaters nationwide poured in. As a result, theaters refused to show the feature and the film was ultimately cancelled, drawing further ire from audiences, critics and even the White House. Ultimately the film was released digitally and is available for viewing online.
The whole debacle surrounding this film has colored many people’s perception of it, raising questions about whether it should or should not have been made, should or should not have been released and whether people should (on principle) or should not see it. Even questions surrounding the perpetrators and motive of the Sony hack all inevitably link back to this film.
It must be remembered, however, that none of this controversy has any bearing on the film’s quality. Regardless of outside circumstances, I am not here to cast judgment one way or the other on what topics are and are not acceptable fodder for film plots. I’m simply here to answer one simple question: Was the film any good?
Well, sort of. As already stated, much of the premise and atmosphere isn’t in and of itself anything new. It’s a simple fish out of water story blended with a twist on the standard “book by its cover” story and an irreverential comedy.
The film certainly plays with audiences’ expectations throughout its two-hour runtime, playing up nearly every dramatic scene for comedic effect.
That comedic effect, though, is part of the issue. As a comedy film, the biggest question should always be “is the film funny?” For the most part, The Interview is. There is certainly no shortage of laughs to be had, and every scene is so ripe with material that audiences should have no problem finding something to laugh at.
The issue, however, is twofold. First, while enjoyable, the comedy lacks the sort of drop-dead comedy Rogen and Franco are known for. Second, the film relies almost entirely on its premise alone and lacks any sort of truly compelling plot beneath the jokes. While ordinarily this wouldn’t be too big of an issue, the humor is not up to its (admittedly very high) quality, allowing many cracks in the film’s writing to shine through. While the comedy is not weak enough to ever fall completely flat, neither is it strong enough to fully mask the poor storytelling.
While no joke dies, plenty are weak enough to leave audiences chuckling quietly, thinking to themselves “why on Earth were people so worked up over this?”
The romance subplot of the film played out by Rogen’s character and a propagandist played by Diana Bang illustrates this issue particularly well. Neither deep enough to be dramatic nor comedic enough to be funny, the romance does not feel particularly compelling and comes off as rather token. While not a huge part of the film, it does get enough attention to break its pace. The romance scenes are some of the weakest.
Rogen and Franco are more than energetic and charismatic enough to carry their respective roles, and all their usual chemistry is present throughout. The pair’s ability to play off of each other at this point in their careers is comparable to any of the classic comedy greats. Between their performances and the overall good quality of the material, there is more than enough to carry audiences to the end credits. The film’s biggest flaw, simply put, is that while it’s funny, it’s not as funny as it could be.
All-in-all, the film is certainly worth a watch and is good for a few laughs with some friends. Regardless of the outside circumstances surrounding the film’s production, it’s certainly capable of standing on its own merits. Going in, the best thing to do is to simply eliminate any preconceived notions you may have about it. If you’re just looking for a fun comedy to pass the time and not a politically charged statement, The Interview is certainly worth an online streaming visit.
Overall Rating: 3.5/5
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