What started, for me, as a film I hoped to make my Christmas Day screening, quickly turned into a story of controversy and censorship. Of course I’m talking about Seth Rogan’s latest and greatest, “The Interview.” Starring himself and James Franco, my favorite big screen dynamic duo take on interviewing and assassinating the leader of North Korea, a ridiculous plot that perhaps brought these two more than they bargained for (although not all of me is convinced this wasn’t mostly a publicity move). Sony planned on releasing the film Christmas Day, then after receiving a threat from North Korea as well as an onslaught their systems being hacked, pulled the film from cinematic release. Of course, theaters refusing to play the film must have impacted that choice. Then we get The President of the United States taking charge of the situation, calling out for freedom of speech, prompting Sony to release the films and theaters to show it. What an amazing moment in the history of the cinematic arts, where an admittedly ridiculous buddy-comedy film can result in such a conversation of the rights of film makers and censorship in the U.S. For those of us who still just really wanted to see the movie just to see it, I think this whole situation really ended up benefiting us as well. I can confidently say that if getting threatened by North Korea is what it took for a feature film to be offered on YouTube for less than a price of a theater ticket then it was worth it!
Yes, instead of trekking out (in my miserably sick state for Christmas weekend) to the local Regal, I was able to stay right here in my computer chair and pajamas and laugh my ass off with the click of the play button. Perhaps my only qualm with YouTube’s new feature film feature is that we couldn’t switch to HD; guess I’ll have to wait for DVD to see the whole glory of “The Interview.” But that alone didn’t detract me from my viewing experience and all this political controversy aside, I have to say that I really enjoyed the film.
I have been a Seth Rogan fan since his days on “Freaks and Geeks,” and have seen 11 out of 11 films he’s both starred in and produced according to Wikipedia. This guy makes me laugh; he gets my sense of humor. I think he deserves a little shameless sucking up, just so we’re all sure he’ll keep making movies. Without trying to give a complete review of all his work, I have to say I was quite pleased with how “The Interview” fits in with the other most recent releases. In my opinion, the humor that you get in “Knocked Up,” “Zack and Miri Make a Porno,” and “Pineapple Express,” all early 2000 films starring Seth Rogan, is the perfect blend of sweet and funny, messed up and cute. Now, I honestly really enjoyed “This is the End” as well, but I was getting a little worried. Seth Rogan’s success was something that could go to a lot of people’s heads and with the star-studded cast of “This is the End” really didn’t make up for the lack of a sweet underlying story or the bizarre scenes that seemed to just be pushing envelopes instead of trying to make us laugh. Don’t get me wrong, I love that movie too, it makes me die laughing, but it doesn’t have the same charm.
Now, maybe I’m crazy to say this about a film describing an assassination attempt on a foreign leader, but I really found a lot of the original charm of those earlier Seth Rogan films in “The Interview.” The relationship between Seth Rogan and James Franco permeates every scene of the film and is ultimately the best thing about the film and what brings that, almost, sweet story underneath it all. Rotten Tomatoes may disagree with me, the film’s currently at a %54, but I have to say that there’s a perfect balance of ridiculousness and lightheartedness that keeps the film from going over the top. Even now I’m sure a lot of you are shaking your heads, after all the film does end after a battle to the death between tank and helicopter, but what was significant to me was how the jokes were kept smart and quick, never blatantly stupid or merely relying on the expected response to Seth Rogan just being Seth Rogan.
I almost wish there hadn’t been so much publicity and hype for the film, turning it into a spectacle when it was really just a solid funny movie. Lines like “they’re peanut butter and jealous!” and “they hate us ’cause they ain’t us” kept me laughing long after the film was over. I’m constantly impressed by the way James Franco and Seth Rogan act together, both in their comedic timing as well as their commitment to their work. In interviews I’ve seen the passion that these two have for making quality comedies and it is refreshing in a world of sequels and reboots to see someone creating almost completely all original works. If pushing the envelop is what it takes to get an audience then I say go for it, but the jokes speak for themselves and I hope that Seth Rogan can find continued success in his films after enduring such a controversial release with “The Interview.”
I hope people will watch the film and appreciate it for the humor that it has instead of any political statements it may make. The character of Kim Jong-Un is played beautifully by Randall Park, who I will always think of as Asian Jim from that episode of “The Office.” His attempts to get David Skylark, Franco’s character, on his side, proving to him he’s just a normal, misunderstood guy, was a complete surprise to me, making their attempts to assassinate the dictator all that much more difficult as Aaron (Seth Rogan) must also re-convince Skylark that Kim Jong-Un deserves to die. Overall, the plot of the film was concise and well written, avoiding a lot of unnecessary tangents. Of course there were a lot of Seth Rogan tropes; he has to get injured in some terrible way, there’s a love story thrown in there with a strange woman, and poking fun at his laugh, which seems to happen in everyone of his films. I think Franco and Rogan put together a great comedy here that is definitely worth watching. Even if you aren’t a fan of Seth Rogan’s work, this film is now a part of history and deserves a watch for that sake alone.
Here’s the film’s official website and IMBD page.
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