The Interview

It’s unfortunate to watch a good film premise become what “The Interview” ended up being. The promise is there, as Rogen said in a December 2014 Rolling Stone interview “…now that we have people’s attention, maybe we can focus it on something slightly more relevant…while still doing shit we think is funny.” Sadly, the shit outweighs the relevancy, and the shit just ain't that funny.

Dave Skylark (James Franco) is a cross between an Entertainment Tonight and TMZ style television host. His producer, Aaron Rapoport (Seth Rogen) is frustrated because he knows the sensationalistic work they do has little social value or meaning. This irony is one of the big misses of the film. When North Korea’s Supreme Dictator Kim Jong-un (Randall Park) turns out to be a fan of Skylark and invites him to Pyongyang, the CIA steps in with the command to kill. Yes, it’s silly, but there are high stakes and a lot of (potential) fun to be had.

Sadly, Rogen, who also Directed and Co-Wrote the script, either didn’t want to or couldn’t direct Franco away from a great number of bad choices in his character. By not embracing the strength of the faux-intelligence, arrogance and narcissism built into his role in the name of campiness, Skylark is left as a limp, unbelievable and largely boring (if not annoying) presence. I wouldn’t bother with the criticism if I didn’t know for a fact that Franco is so capable of being an awesome screen presence. When comedy is treated as an excuse for being stupid or playing down to the lowest level for the sake of itself, it bothers me far more than any racial, sexual, gender or whatever-level joke some critics have complained about. So you don’t read this as me being uptight, I loved Rogen’s This is the End and Matt Stone and Trey Parker’s ridiculously funny Team America. Both were examples of extremely sharp commentary (film industry for This is the End and politics for Team America) and the lampooning celebrity.

I also believe absolutely anything can be funny if handled correctly. Comedy has the unique and wonderful power of comedy to heighten consciousness, change thought and even heal. And this film had the opportunity, perhaps unwittingly, to do those things due to the incredible firestorm it found itself in when the Sony hackers threatened violence due to the film’s mere presence. But either Rogen didn’t know what he had or he was afraid to pursue the truth of it. Comedy works best, in my opinion, when it is honest and reflective (or counter-reflective) of our lives. When we stop being able to relate, we stop laughing.

The Interview is not without its moments. Park gets a lot of mileage out of his portrayal of Kim Jong-un largely because he’s believable. Rogen, too, had some nice moments on screen when he was vulnerable, like when he is crushed by his former college classmate who has gone on to 60 minutes while Rogen’s career is in the mud.

Resonance Rating: 4 out of 5 – the reason it gets such a high rating is because of the significance of the controversy around the film and what it will mean in historical context going forward.