The Interview

I know some people don´t like Seth Rogen. Maybe because he can be very loud, and annoying with his laughter. But the truth is that he is a good comedian, especially in one of my favourite films, called Observe And Report. This is the kind of comedy i prefer, dark humour, and with a lot of satire about ordinary peoples lives. This film did not became very successfull, but the critics did see a different side of Seth Rogen, and he actually got good reviews. Since he have done many comedies over the years, i think we should mention a classic by now, Pineapple Express. To see Seth Rogen and James Franco as stoners going wild, was a great idea. They managed to do so well, they both returned in the really funny comedy This Is The End. If you have not seen this one, you have to. So many great actors, doing some really insane stuff as the world is ending. By the way, have you seen the film Fanboys ? Seth have a really funny character there, as a Star Trek nerd. James Franco is a much more serious actor, who have done some really good motion pictures. 127 Hours, Milk, Spring Breakers, there are many titles worth mentioning. I really enjoyed his perfomance in Milk, as the boyfriend of Harvey Milk, the gay politician who was murdered. Sean Penn is absolutely brilliant as Harvey Milk, i suggest you buy this one. So here we are with a new film, with both Seth Rogen and James Franco back together. This time though in a different comedy film called The Interview. This film have been very contreversial, because of making fun of Noth Korean leader Kim Jong-un. It was actually removed before the cinema premiere in many countries, but managed to get a limited theatrical release. Is this another funny combination of Seth Rogen and James Franco since last time, or have they done this too long and should drop theír teamwork for something more serious ?

Dave Skylark ( James Franco ) is a tv host, for his own talk show Skylark Tonight. He want celebrities to reveal their deepest secrets, on camera. The producer of Skylark Tonight, Dave´s best friend Aaron Rapoport ( Seth Rogen ), realise that they need to change the tone of the talkshow. People are not taking them seriously, and see them as loosers. One day, Dave have a brilliant idea to make his talkshow back on top. He is going to do an interview with North Korea leader Kim Jong-un ( Randall Park ). Aaron think this is a terrible idea, but when Dave eventually manage to persuade Aaron, he agree to travel to China to meet Sook Yung Park ( Diana Bang ), a North Korean propagandist, to discuss how this interview will be arranged. To celebrate this, Dave and Aaron throw a big party. As they wake up next day, CIA visit, with an offer. They want Dave and Aaron to assassinate Kim Jong-un, with a poison. Dave and Aaron are not sure about this, but understand that they can´t get out unless they finish the mission. As they prepare themselves, arriving in North Korea, they need to make this look as good as possible, so no one knows their true mission. The interview is about to begin, one fatal mistake can destroy the whole operation.

The Interview is definetely different from the previous films with Seth Rogen and James Franco. The good news is that The Interview is a fun comedy, even if they make fun of North Korea ( as many comedians usually do ). I like the idea that this is based on doing a serious interview, with one of the worlds most famous personalities. A different concept from Seth and James previous films together. We all know how often we read about North Korea in news papers, and the situation is sensitive. So i can understand the reaction that The Interview gave the people of North Korea. If you make fun of their leader, there will be consequences. Since this is just a comedy, i don´t think you should take it too seriously. Just an example, in the beginning you hear hip hop artist Eminem, admitting he is gay in an interview, is actually quite funny. The Interview turns into an assassination attempt, and of course becomes more louder. Once the action takes off in North Korea, i was reminded of the 80´s film Spies Like Us, with Checy Chase and Dan Akroyd. These are 2 different comedies of course, but they both take on countries known for being military imperiums. From a comedy perspective, this is the kind of vulgar humour that you want while having a beer with friends, or just having some good laughs with your partner. The assassination mission have some fun moments, and there is also a feeling of Mission Impossible vibe in here, when the guys are send to North Korea to do their job. The Interview is nothing fresh, we have seen all this before, but i still found myself having a good time thanks to Seth Rogen and James Franco. These guys seem to match great on screen, and for that simple reason it is hard not to like them back together. I hope they return with a different comedy next time, with another crazy idea. How about they both play a gay couple who start a country band ? Could be something to think about.

Rating: DDD