Directors: Evan Goldberg, Seth Rogen
"If liking Katy Perry and margaritas is gay, then I don't want to be straight."
-James Franco, speaking the most profound line in the movie
Yeah, you knew this was coming... again...
Yes, "The Interview," after a causing an international incident over its depiction of the attempted assassination of North Korea Leader Kim Jong-Un, ending up being released, and was... promptly forgotten by all those originally upset by it, a shining example of how incredibly pathetic human attention span can be. But... I remembered it, strangely enough. And so I decided it would be best to conclude this useless saga in pop-culture history by reviewing it. So...here we go:
The plot starts off with a TV personality and his producer who mostly interview celebrities. However, in an attempt to be taken seriously, they get a chance to interview the Dear Leader (Randall Park). Before heading over to North Korea, they are recruited by the CIA to assassinate him. However, when they arrive, things get complicated...or stupid...mostly stupid...
When I discussed this movie in my previous post, I said, based on the trailer, that this movie looked really stupid. But trailers can be wrong, right? Yes, but...not this time!
First things first: James Franco is the most annoying human being on the planet and he needs to be locked away forever! I know, I know, I am not exactly trending new ground by saying that. But...seriously! Almost every time his character speaks, it is an attempt to cram in as much bathroom/bedroom humor (and "Lord of the Rings" references, for some reason) as possible. And they are not quick one liners either: he just starts talking and never stops. It serves no value to the plot or the English language.
As for Seth Rogen...um...was he even in this movie? He mostly plays it straight and he (unwittingly) takes part in moving forward with the plan toward the end. And granted, he did co-direct the film, so maybe his attention was elsewhere. Still, he mostly seems like he is just reacting to events as opposed to doing anything productive. Oh, wait I forgot, the sticking the thing up his butt gag. Never mind, he was very important to the movie.
As for the movie as a whole, the best way I can describe it is that it is "Pineapple Express" if it took place in North Korea. It is two guys who get caught up in something they have no business in doing. You can say this is symbolic of the whole hacking incident, but that is to assume the movie is somehow deep (it isn't).
Now, the film is somewhat self-aware: it touches on the consequences of having a televised meeting with, and possibly killing, the leader of a rogue state.
And then James Franco tells a dick joke.
When you get down to it, the film as a whole is just a string of bathroom and bedroom humor jokes wrapped together to create a basic plot. A lot of this (as a bit of an inside-joke) centers around Franco's homoerotic tendencies, both toward Rogen and Jung-Un, whom he becomes buddies with (Park actually does play the part well, even if he looks more esteemed than the real Jung-Un and does not do much to hide his American accent). That might be the real reason Jung-Un was upset with the film; it was because it associated him with James Franco! In fairness, the friendship is rather odd: can you image something as weird as that happening in real life...
But hey, at least I now know what "honey dipping" is, or at least the PG-rated meaning of the word (don't ask).
Now, I will admit, there were some parts that made me laugh. The funniest was probably at the very beginning when they interview Eminem (playing himself) It has little to do with the rest of the movie, but it is just fun watching him saying this ridiculous stuff in a deadpan manner. Forget "8 Mile," he should go into comedy if he decides to give up rap (I am going to regret this sentence years from now, aren't I...?). The other funny parts are a bit forced, but you take what you can get.
So, has my opinion changed about the film now that I have actually seen it? Uhhh...no. It is what I expected: a dumb movie about dumb people doing dumb things. And again, if everyone had just left it alone, this whole fuss would have never happened. And I would not have had to write not one, but two, posts about a movie when I should have written zero!
So, do I recommend it? If you want to stick it to North Korea, you probably already have. If you are looking for great political satire, you would be better served watching "Team America" instead. Other than that, it really depends on how much you enjoy this sort of humor. I am not above saying I like it in small doses or if it is done in a cleaver way, but this movie does neither. If what I described it not up your alley, then I would skip it. Either way, it is what it is. Nothing more, nothing less...
Well, glad that is over with. Weird how worked up everyone got over this. It is just a movie. It is not like there is any movie in history that has ever caused real long-term damage or...
Oh, Jesus...
The images and links in this post do not belong to me and are being used for entertainment purposes only. Please do not sue me. Especially you, Franco.
The plot starts off with a TV personality and his producer who mostly interview celebrities. However, in an attempt to be taken seriously, they get a chance to interview the Dear Leader (Randall Park). Before heading over to North Korea, they are recruited by the CIA to assassinate him. However, when they arrive, things get complicated...or stupid...mostly stupid...
When I discussed this movie in my previous post, I said, based on the trailer, that this movie looked really stupid. But trailers can be wrong, right? Yes, but...not this time!
First things first: James Franco is the most annoying human being on the planet and he needs to be locked away forever! I know, I know, I am not exactly trending new ground by saying that. But...seriously! Almost every time his character speaks, it is an attempt to cram in as much bathroom/bedroom humor (and "Lord of the Rings" references, for some reason) as possible. And they are not quick one liners either: he just starts talking and never stops. It serves no value to the plot or the English language.
As for Seth Rogen...um...was he even in this movie? He mostly plays it straight and he (unwittingly) takes part in moving forward with the plan toward the end. And granted, he did co-direct the film, so maybe his attention was elsewhere. Still, he mostly seems like he is just reacting to events as opposed to doing anything productive. Oh, wait I forgot, the sticking the thing up his butt gag. Never mind, he was very important to the movie.
As for the movie as a whole, the best way I can describe it is that it is "Pineapple Express" if it took place in North Korea. It is two guys who get caught up in something they have no business in doing. You can say this is symbolic of the whole hacking incident, but that is to assume the movie is somehow deep (it isn't).
Now, the film is somewhat self-aware: it touches on the consequences of having a televised meeting with, and possibly killing, the leader of a rogue state.
And then James Franco tells a dick joke.
When you get down to it, the film as a whole is just a string of bathroom and bedroom humor jokes wrapped together to create a basic plot. A lot of this (as a bit of an inside-joke) centers around Franco's homoerotic tendencies, both toward Rogen and Jung-Un, whom he becomes buddies with (Park actually does play the part well, even if he looks more esteemed than the real Jung-Un and does not do much to hide his American accent). That might be the real reason Jung-Un was upset with the film; it was because it associated him with James Franco! In fairness, the friendship is rather odd: can you image something as weird as that happening in real life...
Oh, right...
But hey, at least I now know what "honey dipping" is, or at least the PG-rated meaning of the word (don't ask).
Now, I will admit, there were some parts that made me laugh. The funniest was probably at the very beginning when they interview Eminem (playing himself) It has little to do with the rest of the movie, but it is just fun watching him saying this ridiculous stuff in a deadpan manner. Forget "8 Mile," he should go into comedy if he decides to give up rap (I am going to regret this sentence years from now, aren't I...?). The other funny parts are a bit forced, but you take what you can get.
So, has my opinion changed about the film now that I have actually seen it? Uhhh...no. It is what I expected: a dumb movie about dumb people doing dumb things. And again, if everyone had just left it alone, this whole fuss would have never happened. And I would not have had to write not one, but two, posts about a movie when I should have written zero!
So, do I recommend it? If you want to stick it to North Korea, you probably already have. If you are looking for great political satire, you would be better served watching "Team America" instead. Other than that, it really depends on how much you enjoy this sort of humor. I am not above saying I like it in small doses or if it is done in a cleaver way, but this movie does neither. If what I described it not up your alley, then I would skip it. Either way, it is what it is. Nothing more, nothing less...
I felt the need to include this image for whatever reason.
Well, glad that is over with. Weird how worked up everyone got over this. It is just a movie. It is not like there is any movie in history that has ever caused real long-term damage or...
Oh, Jesus...
The images and links in this post do not belong to me and are being used for entertainment purposes only. Please do not sue me. Especially you, Franco.
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