By now, everyone has heard of Sony's tale of woe concerning The Interview.
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| "Dude. Franco, how much longer do we have to star in this movie?" |
Unfortunately for them, the problems don't stem from leaks or terrorism threats. The Interview is nothing shy of a horrendous screenplay mixed with embarrassing performances from James Franco and a bored Seth Rogen that just can't find his way out of this muddled and annoyingly unfunny comedy.
One can't help but question what the real motives were behind pulling this thing from theaters. In retrospect, it seems like studio heads realized they had a stinker on their hands that couldn't compete against Into The Woods and Unbroken which forced them into releasing this thing while pulling off one of the biggest publicity stunts ever. The Interview is nowhere near as offensive as the other North Korea bashing film, Team America and was definitely not worth all the senseless hype surrounding it.
This is a far cry from Pineapple Express or This Is The End. Franco seems unnatural in the role and comes off as a royal douche bag from beginning to end. Yeah, I get it. His character is meant to be unlikeable. But in The Interview, his time as Dave Skylark is a horrendous step down from everything he's done before. In fact, he seems inept, awkward, lacks comedic motivation, and seems uncomfortable with the distressing and torturous lines he's reading throughout. It's like being raked over the coals waiting patiently for something funny to come out of his mouth.....and it's painful to watch.
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| "Ooooh. Silly American. I now control your theaters. Give me your soda and popcorn or die a horrific death." |
To top it off, there's not one single ounce of chemistry between Franco and Rogen. Their friendship is a convoluted mess that really makes The Interview a bitter pill to swallow. These guys typically put out good entertainment and seem to play off each other with a certain creative balance and dynamic flair. There's none of that here. Rogen offers up his usual clumsy wit while a clueless Franco forgets what it means to be a respected actor. The 112 minute run time is an exhausting length with a couple bland characters that do nothing to make The Interview a memorable comedy. In fact, when a few years have passed, people will only remember this for the supposed terrorist threat and the drama that ensued around its release.
The Interview was a great idea that was not seen through to fruition. It's a flat, soulless, nearly humorless comedy that tried its hardest to capitalize on modern themes, threats, and fears. It failed under the miserable presumption that these two "funny" actors can do no wrong. For Franco, Rogen, and Sony, this is very expensive embarrassment that should teach them a few hard lessons. From here on out, they might be considered a domestic threat to comedy.
-CG
While you're here, check out our webisode on the piracy debate.