Title – The Interview (2014)

Director – Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen (This is the End)

Cast – James Franco, Seth Rogen, Lizzy Caplan, Randall Park

Plot – TV interviewer Dave Skylark (Franco) and his loyal best friend and producer Aaron Rapaport (Rogen) find themselves heading off to interview tyrannical leader of North Korea Kim Jong-un (Park). The CIA, led by Agent Lacey (Caplan) have plans for these two men that will see them become makeshift assassins. 

 “You know what’s more destructive than a nuclear bomb?… Words”

Review by Eddie on 11/06/2015

It’s a crying shame that the movie which almost created a new world ending war is such a criminally unfunny and downright amateurish production, a movie so devoid of any originality or smarts that you truly wonder if the reason behind the threats of war were in fact made so the general movie going public would never have to see such atrocities committed on screen.

In a new career low for all involved, Seth Rogen and long term best buddy Evan Goldberg’s tale starts off with the films funniest singular scene involving “Rap God” Eminem but from there everything that happens in the Interview ranges from worryingly juvenile, unquestionably unfunny, awkward and horribly misinterpreted. It’s a 2 hour comedy of indecipherable badness; you’ll constantly be asking yourself how those involved could’ve allowed the ship to sink so quickly, it’s not like the actors and behind scenes talent in the film are first time filmmakers, they’re people who’ve achieved success and proven their worth in similar films yet don’t showcase a single ounce of talent in this downright atrocious affair.

While we’ve made many mentions to James Franco on this blog before, the frequently busy actor delivers what can only be described as one of recent cinemas worst performances as the shock interviewer Dave Skylark. Whether Franco is yelling, pulling faces or just generally being a jerk he is an oh so slapable presence that fails to produce a drop of charisma or charm. With Franco on career worst form even his bro-mance with the ever same Seth Rogen can’t save material as weak as this and Rogen too struggles to bring his Aaron to life with any form of his acting talents. Where films like This is the End succeeded on gross out gags working on the back of chemistry between these men, The Interview falls on their smug looking faces. With such intolerable leads any chance the film had of even having any slight political merits are shot down and the film becomes an exercise of pure self-indulgence for the actors to fulfil their own wishful inklings.

There’s really not much more to say about the Interview other than the fact as a comedy it’s a big fat fail, as a political satire it’s non-existent and as an acting/writing showcase it acts merely as an example of what not to do if you want to make a professional film. With all the hoop-lah about the Interview towards the end of last year it’s justifiable that many where hyped for its release (myself included) but even fans of the Franco/Rogen brand of humour would struggle to find much joy in this torrid journey to the mysterious lands of North Korea, although the sight of Seth Rogen disposing of a capsule in an unmentionable part of his body is surely cinema at it’s finest?

Half a Katy Perry power ballad out of 5