Seth Rogen's recent resurgence has found him getting more creative control over his projects, something that didn't work with The Green Hornet, but worked wonderfully with 2013's daffy treasure This Is The End. Like that apocalyptic comedy, Rogen and Evan Goldberg write and direct this feature. From a directorial standpoint, they prove End's quality directing was no fluke, with shots being framed in a satisfactory manner, pleasing colors being present (a shot of a green North Korean building against a darkened sky is a surprisingly memorable visual, props to cinematographer Brandon Trost for that) and action scenes are done in a manner that makes them coherent.
The writing by the duo is mostly effective as well, though the films primary flaw can be found in this department. The story, TV interviewer Dave Skylark (James Franco) and his best pal Aaron (Seth Rogen) are sent to kill Kim Jong-Un under the pretense of conducting a routine interview, is one that sounds rife with comedic possibilities. But the set-up for it has several humorous moments, namely James Francos extended Gollum impression, fall flat. Other story moments, like Aaron traveling to Chine to coordinate the interview, feel overlong and repetitive. It's not that this entire section of the movie is bad per se, but it does feel lacking in laughs and purpose in several moments.
But even here some pretty fun moments can be found, such as interviews centered on Rob Lowe (between this and those DirectTV commercials, I'm really taking a shine to that dude) and Eminem. Franco and Rogen also have a natural chemistry that's surprisingly fun to watch, their decade long friendship being easy to buy. It's good that that part of the story is executed in an effective manner considering how prominent it is during the rest of the story, which primarily takes place in North Korea. Once Lizzy Caplans CIA character (an amusing character I was sad to see didn't get too much screentime during later portions of the film) recruits Aaron and Dave for their mission in North Korea.
In this country, Kim Jon-Un, played by Randall Park, enters the picture, and good Lord, is he a humorous creation. Rogen and Goldberg make him a maniacal, manipulative and emotionally stunted fellow who manages an impressive feat of being both imposing and funny. I took him seriously as a threat to Aaron and Dave in the films final scenes, but also found his scenes designed to get yuks to be similarly successful. A scene with him and Franco bonding over a jet is a riot, especially Kim's dramatic reading of the lyrics of Firework.
The story moves at a clear and engaging pace for much of the story, with refreshingly little extraneous material to be found within this particular portion of the story. High ranking North Korean figure Sook (Diana Bang) plays a prominent part here, and thank God she does, because good Lord is she a funny creation. Bang and Seth Rogen play off each other for some of the movies best comedic moments, some of which occur during a well done violence full of blood, mayhem and an adorable puppy. It's a scene marked by the kind of absurdity that tends to pop up in work starring Seth Rogen, and while it's earlier scenes have pacing issues, there's no denying the film as a whole is a solid and entertaining effort from the comedian. There's plenty of discussion to be mined from The Interview, but let's not forget to also recognize that the film works on it's own as a fun and humorous feature.
The writing by the duo is mostly effective as well, though the films primary flaw can be found in this department. The story, TV interviewer Dave Skylark (James Franco) and his best pal Aaron (Seth Rogen) are sent to kill Kim Jong-Un under the pretense of conducting a routine interview, is one that sounds rife with comedic possibilities. But the set-up for it has several humorous moments, namely James Francos extended Gollum impression, fall flat. Other story moments, like Aaron traveling to Chine to coordinate the interview, feel overlong and repetitive. It's not that this entire section of the movie is bad per se, but it does feel lacking in laughs and purpose in several moments.
But even here some pretty fun moments can be found, such as interviews centered on Rob Lowe (between this and those DirectTV commercials, I'm really taking a shine to that dude) and Eminem. Franco and Rogen also have a natural chemistry that's surprisingly fun to watch, their decade long friendship being easy to buy. It's good that that part of the story is executed in an effective manner considering how prominent it is during the rest of the story, which primarily takes place in North Korea. Once Lizzy Caplans CIA character (an amusing character I was sad to see didn't get too much screentime during later portions of the film) recruits Aaron and Dave for their mission in North Korea.
In this country, Kim Jon-Un, played by Randall Park, enters the picture, and good Lord, is he a humorous creation. Rogen and Goldberg make him a maniacal, manipulative and emotionally stunted fellow who manages an impressive feat of being both imposing and funny. I took him seriously as a threat to Aaron and Dave in the films final scenes, but also found his scenes designed to get yuks to be similarly successful. A scene with him and Franco bonding over a jet is a riot, especially Kim's dramatic reading of the lyrics of Firework.
The story moves at a clear and engaging pace for much of the story, with refreshingly little extraneous material to be found within this particular portion of the story. High ranking North Korean figure Sook (Diana Bang) plays a prominent part here, and thank God she does, because good Lord is she a funny creation. Bang and Seth Rogen play off each other for some of the movies best comedic moments, some of which occur during a well done violence full of blood, mayhem and an adorable puppy. It's a scene marked by the kind of absurdity that tends to pop up in work starring Seth Rogen, and while it's earlier scenes have pacing issues, there's no denying the film as a whole is a solid and entertaining effort from the comedian. There's plenty of discussion to be mined from The Interview, but let's not forget to also recognize that the film works on it's own as a fun and humorous feature.
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