Review of The Interview (2014) by Omar K — 16 Sep 2015

It is one of the most controversial films of recent times, perhaps since The Passion of the Christâ??s release 10 years ago, The Interview may not relate to a character literally touched by God to pass the message onto the world, but it features a damningly hilarious depiction of a dictator that he himself and the people of his country he controls view as a God. The Interviewâ??s satirical depiction of the western worldâ??s main nemesis, Kim Jong-Un, has had the post-production of hell. In June, the North Korean government threatened action against Columbia Studios if they went ahead with the filmâ??s release that was in turn postponed from October to Christmas day. Now, Christmas day has passed and The Interview still hasnâ??t been released and this is down to the fact that Sony Pictures were hacked by a group the FBI believe has ties to North Korea. You can see why North Korea would not want the film to be released for if they made a film ridiculing Barack Obama leading to his execution, the West would never stand for it and view it as the first step in an act of war. North Korea do have a right to feel aggrieved by The Interviewâ??s content but Hollywood is a massive industry that needs no one to tell it what to do and knowing Franco and Rogen do have a crude sense of humour, The Interview is a product of their mentality rather than a product of the US governmentâ??s desires to perform major propaganda. Nevertheless, North Korea managed to reduce its worldwide screenings by threatening terrorist attacks against cinemas that played the film, but after being released online, The Interview has undoubtedly circulated many homes around the globe for the controversy it developed in the first place.

The Interview revolves around two friends, one the host of his own talk show Skylark Tonight, and the other the producer of that same talk show. Skylark Tonight interviews celebrities on personal topics revealing so much more than we acknowledged they would and despite the success of this trashy show, both friends want to try something new. They manage to arrange an interview with the North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un in Pyongyang, but before they embark on their journey, they are commanded by the American government to assassinate him using a poisonous plaster. Upon arrival, Skylark takes a liking to the Kim Jong-Un but is this the leaderâ??s actual persona, or is his title as the master of manipulation kicking in? The Interview retains a satirical viewpoint on politics and that is the reason why it has been unfortunately banned from being released. The Interview is a clear-cut parody of the flavourless media who report anything that drifts in the air, truth or fib, and one of the most dangerous dictators alive whose concealed nation view him as a God. Without its controversial context, the film is essentially an exploration of who is better at manipulation: the leader of a nation that thinks of him as a God or the â??western capitalist pigs who brought you Neighbours and This Is The End.â??

Directors Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg again conjure up not only a feisty film but also a tangy script that provides the actors with plenty of moments to shine. James Franco stars as Dave Skylark, the enigmatic host of his own talk show whose carefree persona allows the tension of such a visit to drain away with comedy. Franco adopts a whole new character in this film as his free spirited mentality allows for chaos out of order, comedy out of tension and the building of his peculiar relationship with Kim. Seth Rogen is likeable in this film, as he for once doesnâ??t speak as much as he normally does, yet when he does he moulds well with Francoâ??s larger-than-life attitude. However, the true star of the film, like the figure the character is based on, is Randall Park as Kim Jong-Un. His performance will literally blow you away! Park embraces both the innocent and terrifying side of Kim giving him almost a 3D investigation into his character as we get to understand his motivations, his past lifestyle under his father and his secret fetishes. Even though Rogen and Franco are the main duo, the amount of bonding time Franco and Park spend together endears their initial relationship to you as it electrifies with depth. There are a number of bizarre cameos integrated thanks to the talk show format the film starts off with. From Eminem revealing he is a homosexual and his lyrics relating to his experiences, to Rob Lowe revealing his bald under-hair, Joseph Gordon-Levittâ??s over-affection for puppies and Matthew McConaughey caught on video eloping with a goat are just only 4 out of a 1,000 episodes worth of oddness to choose from! The Interview is truly a mad amalgamation of the real with the outright inexplicableâ?¦ but it works.

Due to the fact that North Korea and the USA do not see eye to eye, it is possible that maybe comedy was not the right genre to employ; only maybe! The intelligence of the screenplay is that it is dedicated to its protagonists, their comedic personalities and the hilarious relationship their personalities generate. Franco and Rogen are a normality when together as they easily bond because friends off-set means friends on-set no matter what the storyline is. However, there is more of the Franco/Kim Jong-Un partnership, which has more amazing scenes as their stark differences, yet peculiar similarities upstages Rogenâ??s character for a while, as he is left fending for himself a lot of the time. Nevertheless, the comedy is crisp and witty as it ranges from The Lord of the Rings references, Katy Perry song â??Fireworkâ??, a present from Joseph Stalin in the form of a tank, a confrontation with a Siberian tiger, poison mistaken for chewing gum and Franco loving up the supposed paramount of evil. The Interview is unlike any other comedy film as it provides good comedy, yet its comedy can be taken seriously which is a problem considering the context of 2014.

Being titled The Interview, there is an actual interview that takes place at the end and boy does it live up to its name as the ultimate interview. It perfectly climaxes the film as it captures the impact of such an interview if it was ever held from different perspectives around the globe. The notion of manipulation is a prevalent theme throughout and in this interview you get to witness the fluctuation of two very different forms of manipulation. One a manipulation over the minds and hearts of a nation and the other a manipulation that gets to the core problems of the victimâ??s life completely unravelling who they are. Never have I ever seen a more fantastic ending on a comedy film and that is because The Interview hilariously utilises a world-famous dictator to fund its source of comedy and boy does it work as: 1) a gutsy, part-real, part-fake cinematic comedy, and 2) a catalyst to a foreshadowing nuclear warfare that hopefully never arrives. Some of the comedy will leave you laughing-out-loud, some comedy with leave you smirking at the scriptâ??s ingeniousness, yet for some even if North Korea is the subject of the banter, may find the film slightly insulting to Asians and over-the-top in its depiction. But then again, Franco and Rogen are creative comedians, North Korea is the enemy of the Americans, the characters are exaggerated for effect and first and foremost, no one will ever get to interview the planetâ??s definitive dictator!

After watching the film it is 90% good entertainment, but you can feel how a 10% of this film can be seen as amplifying tensions between North Korea and the USA as its crude depictions of Kim Jong-Un and the North Korean lifestyle is undeniably a calling to the world that this dangerous dictator has no place on this Earth, and no totalitarian power over the nation he rules. The film is good enough to stand on its own as a film that provides 2-hours worth of good comedic entertainment, but the controversy that has come with its existence has ruined its impact as simply cinematic satisfaction and has turned it into somewhat of a circus for the world to outline their brutal responses towards the film. A person who watches the film without any knowledge of its worldwide controversy will enjoy for its refreshing form of comedy, some with the knowledge of its controversy will enjoy it purely for what Franco and Rogen are so good at doing, but for many it looks like the ultimate movie of terrorism.

The Verdict:

Possibly the most controversial film of the century so far; The Interview borders on both the edge of realism and the threshold of the farfetched to create a comedy-political satire with a venomous bite.

â??â??â??â??â??â??â??â??â??â?? 8/10.