From the first, accidental viewing of the trailer, I was convinced beyond all doubt not to waste time or money on watching The Interview. No way, no how. From the team (stars Seth Rogen & James Franco, writer and/or directors Evan Goldberg, Dan Sterling and Rogen again) that brought us the execrable This is the End, it looked equally crass and just about as humorous as that stinking 'comedy.' Then came the hacking scandal, the flack, the fallout, the knee jerks and the 'free' publicity that North Korea, the hackers, the cowardly cinema chains and finally the FBI gave Rogan et al. And then I HAD to see it.
So ?
We'll deal with the synopsis of The Interview first, just in case you've been living in a cave for the past month or so. Dave Skylark (James Franco) and Aaron Rapaport (Seth Rogen) are the star and producer respectively TV gossip show Skylark Tonight. When they discover that North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un (Randall Park) loves their show, the chance of a 'respectable' interview looms and they prepare to travel to Pyongyang. Then the CIA recruits them to assassinate the dictator. What could possibly go wrong?
With the assassination attempt? Lots. With the film? Pretty much everything.
The short version is that The Interview is as subtle as a case of year-old gonorrhea and about as funny. Like This Is the End, it is puerile, ill-conceived, and pointless. There is little semblance of reality and not sufficient fantasy for it to engage. There is no drama, no intrigue, no titillation and, after a careful recount of the laughs between us, my companion and I counted precisely none!
Having cast themselves in the lead roles, their friends in cameos (Eminem, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Rob Lowe) and having a budget that allowed them to do pretty much whatever they wanted with it, you'd be justified in expecting something of value. Who'd have thought the best thing about The Interview, other than the end, would be Katy Perry? And she doesn't even appear!
Randall Park bears little more than a passing resemblance to the North Korean dictator but that's a great more than can be said for Rogen and Franco's resemblance to talented actors.
In hindsight, whilst I wholeheartedly support freedom of speech and expression and defend the right for Rogen et al to make The Interview and for the world to see it, it is very difficult to see exactly what the despots of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea were so upset about. Ultimately, it is the USA that comes out of this badly. It is, after all, an American film, staring American talent attempting and failing to satirize with any skill, subtlety or impact.
Without wishing to be flippant, after suffering 112 minutes of this tedium, it raises the question of whether Sony saw what a turkey they had on their hands and paid the FBI to create the mother of all marketing campaigns.
Now THERE'S a movie worth watching!
For more reviews from The Squiss, subscribe to my blog and like the Facebook page.
So ?
We'll deal with the synopsis of The Interview first, just in case you've been living in a cave for the past month or so. Dave Skylark (James Franco) and Aaron Rapaport (Seth Rogen) are the star and producer respectively TV gossip show Skylark Tonight. When they discover that North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un (Randall Park) loves their show, the chance of a 'respectable' interview looms and they prepare to travel to Pyongyang. Then the CIA recruits them to assassinate the dictator. What could possibly go wrong?
With the assassination attempt? Lots. With the film? Pretty much everything.
The short version is that The Interview is as subtle as a case of year-old gonorrhea and about as funny. Like This Is the End, it is puerile, ill-conceived, and pointless. There is little semblance of reality and not sufficient fantasy for it to engage. There is no drama, no intrigue, no titillation and, after a careful recount of the laughs between us, my companion and I counted precisely none!
Having cast themselves in the lead roles, their friends in cameos (Eminem, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Rob Lowe) and having a budget that allowed them to do pretty much whatever they wanted with it, you'd be justified in expecting something of value. Who'd have thought the best thing about The Interview, other than the end, would be Katy Perry? And she doesn't even appear!
Randall Park bears little more than a passing resemblance to the North Korean dictator but that's a great more than can be said for Rogen and Franco's resemblance to talented actors.
In hindsight, whilst I wholeheartedly support freedom of speech and expression and defend the right for Rogen et al to make The Interview and for the world to see it, it is very difficult to see exactly what the despots of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea were so upset about. Ultimately, it is the USA that comes out of this badly. It is, after all, an American film, staring American talent attempting and failing to satirize with any skill, subtlety or impact.
Without wishing to be flippant, after suffering 112 minutes of this tedium, it raises the question of whether Sony saw what a turkey they had on their hands and paid the FBI to create the mother of all marketing campaigns.
Now THERE'S a movie worth watching!
For more reviews from The Squiss, subscribe to my blog and like the Facebook page.