The Interview

"The Interview" (2014 release; 112 min.) brings the story of how an entertainment reporter Dave Skylark (played by James Franco) and his producer Aaron Rapoport (played by Seth Rogen) get an opportunity to interview Kim Jong-un. the "Supreme Leader" of North Korea. As the movie opens, we see a young girl (maybe 7 or 8) sing a patriotic song for North Korean officials. The song turns hilariously into an anti-America rant. Soon thereafter, we see Skylark interview Eminem (another hilarious scene). When Skylark and Rapoport find out that Jng-un is a big fan of the show, they manage an invite to North Korea. The CIA then pays a visit and convinces the guys that they need to "take out" Jong-un. At this point we're barely 20 min. into the movie but to tell you more would spoil your viewing experience.

Couple of comments: at this point as much needs to be said about the events surrounding the limited release of the movie as about the movie itself. Let's start with the movie itself: first and foremost, I had heard and read mixed things about the movie, so when my (grown) kids and I went to see it on Christmas day, I had pretty low expectations. Turns out the movie is actually not nearly as bad as I had been led the believe. Yes, there is stupid "potty" humor and yes, it's all very much over the top. But there are zingers left and right that will have you smile if not laugh out loud. One of the many, many examples: when Jong-un and Skylark are taking a tour of Jong-un's place, at some point they come across a huge tank. Comments Jong-un: "That was a gift to my grandfather by Stalin". Replies Skylark: "in our country, we pronounce that Stallone", ha! And on and on. Randall Park as Kim Jong-un is outstanding. Kudos also to Set Rogen, who also co-rwote and co-directed the movie.

As to the limited release, I at first was horrified that Sony gave in to the threats, but felt better when the limited Christmas day release was announced. The movie played on one screen at my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati, and it's a good thin I had bought tickets on-line beforehand, as the matinée screening was sold out (as were all other screenings, apparently). The crowd was really into it, laughing and hollering and whooping it up. When the end titles started rolling, the crowd even gave an applause. In all, this truly was a "movie event", and all three of us were very happy we were part of it. "The Interview" is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Honestly, I wasn't impressed with the trailer and thought this movie was going to be stupid. But this movie is hilarious! I found myself laughing out loud at least every few minutes or so. If you don't like Seth Rogen's brand of humor or raunchy comedies then you won't like this movie. However, if you loved Pineapple Express or This Is The End, then you will probably love this movie too. Most people who hate this movie went in expecting the wrong thing because of all the hype. The Interview hits all of marks you would expect a Seth Rogen comedy to. Crazy action scenes? Check. Ridiculous characters? Check. Funny jokes with an occasional heartfelt serious moment? Check.

What a waste of time, the publicity surrounding this movie cannot be bought, it was priceless, and so I had to watch it, stayed in Christmas eve expecting rubbish, and sure enough Sony delivered ..

I enjoyed "world police" so I gave this a try because when I looked on IMDb they recommended this movie as well, everyone has to watch it of course. So thank you Sony for creating difficult international relations and wasting millions of viewing hours on trash like this.

The scripts coming out of Hollywood are getting paper thin, this was "rice paper thin" absolutely dreadful, but again, you have to see it don't you

If you have low expectations going into this movie, you'll enjoy it a lot more. Yes, it is ridiculous, but it's also pretty funny and has some decent commentary on the world. It can be a little too over the top at times, but this is a film that doesn't take itself too seriously and you shouldn't either.

-The Interview, maybe you have heard of it, follows two idiots, played by James Franco and Seth Rogan, who host a talk show, when one day they are invited to interview Kim Jong-un. This prompts the CIA to recruit the two to 'take out' the leader of North Korea.

-I was happy to watch The Interview just to support the film industry really, but it turns out that it came with a pretty hilarious film! -The story, mainly the concept, does not wear out like Let's Be Cops, but actually gets better and better.

-The pace is pretty good and the film does not waste time. I did feel like one scene dragged, but one out of an entire film is not too bad! -The acting is especially funny with James Franco and Randall Park, who played Kim. However Seth Rogan just played the SAME. FREAKING. CHARACTER. Yeah I hate him. Anyway.

-The music was very Tarantino-esque, therefore I loved it.

-The film had me laughing right off the bat and, aside from some parts that just weren't funny, was generally hilarious throughout. Even the ending was funny, satisfying, and overall well done.

-The biggest negative is the content. It is a Seth Rogan comedy, so it is rated R. It is not that violent and only has some very brief, distant nudity. However, there is a lot of language in the film. There are some pretty iffy jokes, but it's mainly just language throughout that gives it its rating.

-So if you don't mind language and are looking for an actually funny film that is entertaining and takes an original concept to great use, The Interview is totally worth seeing in thea- oh wait, nevermind. Well you can rent it on YouTube, to it is worth that! I would honestly give The Interview an 8/10. No joke.