‘The Interview’ falls flat despite the hype
Mesa Legend Review
Mesa Legend
Opening with a vintage, stylized Columbia Pictures logo, immediately followed by Point Grey’s nod to iconic propaganda images associated with North Korea, “The Interview” begins with a strange song sung by a young girl. There has been a fair amount of controversy surrounding the film; its initial leak before officially being released in theaters was followed up with threats to theaters that showed the film.
Sony chose to limit the release of the film, and in late January, the film was added to the Netflix streaming website, allowing subscribers to watch it. Going into the film unsure of whether it could live up to the hype or not, what unfolded was a plot that at times struggled to maintain the attention of this viewer. As the camera pans out from the young girl singing, the audience soon sees what is revealed to be a nuclear missile launch taking place behind her.
It is the story of protagonists Dave Skylark and Aaron Rapoport, played by James Franco and Seth Rogan respectively, as they embark on a journey to North Korea so that Skylark can interview Kim Jong Un. “The Interview” tackles some controversial subject matter in this regard, highlighted by the firestorm that has surrounded its dissemination.
Although it took risks in terms of plot choices, the film also felt like an attempt to recapture the lightning in a bottle that was “Pineapple Express.” The pacing of the first half of the movie was plodding, at times difficult to watch. This slow pace was further hindered by asinine humor that was often pushed past the point of necessity to get a point across. Vulgarity-driven punchlines dominated many scenes in the film, that could have been better executed if done with more subtlety.
Don’t misunderstand, risqué comedy can be hilarious when done well; the problem was that “The Interview” fell flat more often than it succeeded. However, frequently the jokes felt like they fell into a rut, becoming redundant rather than ingenious running gags.
Midway through the film the story began to pick up steam, and I was drawn in to the plot of “The Interview.” Faced with a serious decision to make about his approach to interviewing the North Korean leader, the audience is left to wonder what Skylark will ultimately do.
The action scenes towards the end, while over the top, didn’t stray into the realm of the unreal that seems to happen all too often in films these days. My qualm with the resolution of the story is that it turns out a bit too perfect; everything is tied up with a happy ending that is sweeter than saccharin. Amid the hype surrounding “The Interview” rests a fairly mediocre offering; something that entertains.
