The Interview
2014
*½
Director: Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg
Cast: James Franco, Seth Rogen, Lizzy Caplan, Randall Park, Diana Bang, Timothy Simons, Reese Alexander, Anders Holm, James Yi, Paul Bae
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is a massive fan of Skylark Tonight, a popular but meatheaded American talk show. When Dave Skylark and his producer Aaron Rapaport secure an exclusive interview with Kim, the CIA persuade the duo to assassinate the dictator while they're at it. Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg's second movie is cut from the same cloth as their disappointing debut This Is the End. There is a clever if outlandish premise which is quickly thrown aside to make way for the usual jokes about dicks and anal penetration, intercut with scenes of violent diarrhea and comically severed body parts. Despite the fruitful set-up, Rogen and Goldberg do not make the faintest attempt to create a political satire, instead they settle for the lowest common denominator humour. James Franco gives a career low performance as the talk show host. This poor man's Spies Like Us will probably be best remember for the cancelled theatrical release when Sony Pictures received a number of online threats.
