The Interview

I won't waste your time debating whether or not all of the controversy surrounding Sony's The Interview was a well planned out publicity stunt that was put in place just to generate buzz around a movie that for the most part would have gone unnoticed this Christmas season. But I will say that I did have to raise an eyebrow or two when they claimed that their main concern was for the well being of the American movie-goer. Since when has Sony or any movie studio for that matter cared about the well being of humanity? If that were the case they would have never made us suffer through Sex Tape or One Direction: This Is Us. Heck, looking back, I still can't believe that someone didn't kill themselves along with everyone else in the theater when they were forced to watch the re-imagination of Robocop on Valentine's Day solo. That right there was a true test of emotional stability for one person in particular, I'm not naming any names.

But just as most people with above average intelligence would have guessed, The Interview wound up being released online and in a few independent theaters nationwide this week in spite of the unseen dangers that existed. Americans make fun of absolutely everyone and everything, I am not sure why Kim Jong-un feels like he should be exempt from it. Besides, if you see this silly movie it's not as if they bring any new information to light; it instead feels more like a 90 minute jab at Dennis Rodman and his naivety.

The Interview is about celebrity gossip TV host Dave Skylark(James Franco) and his producer Aaron Rapaport(Seth Rogen) being roped into an assassination attempt on the leader of North Korea by the C.I.A. after they score the world's biggest exclusive interview with Jong-un. They head over and prepare to do the scripted interview but the day before the actual airing Skylark gets to spend some time with a fan of his in Jong-un and as you can imagine they have a rather interesting day together.

What makes this movie work is the fact that Franco is basically an imaginary character; he's this cool and funny frat guy that you actually want to hang out with. He simply parties and jokes his way through absolutely everything which makes up for the fact that he's so dumb. But because he's so likeable, he's able to get secrets out of celebrities that most people wouldn't be able to. His interview with Eminem is one of the funniest things I've seen in a while.

Rogen is his usual forgettable self but he does have a few funny moments as well as he plays the level headed producer who finally wants to be taken seriously. The real star however is the underrated Randall Park who plays Jong-un. He does an amazing job of playing the manipulative leader and is so good at it that you find yourself turning into Dennis Rodman midway through the movie, especially when the hot naked Korean girls show up. That is until guns start firing, limbs are bitten off, and missiles start exploding. Is there any other way to end a movie about the assassination of North Korea's insane leader?

I'm sure the fact that I loved this movie was helped immensely by the fact that I only had to pay 6 bucks for it and got to watch it from my couch. But I will say that I laughed my butt off for nearly two hours and that is exactly what I expect from a comedy. I rate this movie as very FRESH!