"The Interview" Reviewed: Not Quite Ready For The John Peter Zenger Honorary Oscar
Bottom line: low expectations exceeded.
by Robert Thomas, InverseCondemnation, December 26, 2014
Several months ago, when we first saw the previews for "The Interview," it didn't look all that funny, even though we liked James Franco and Seth Rogan's last joint effort (ha, ha), the entertaining stoner comedy "This is the End." Mildly disappointed (our general rule is if the producers can't make a good trailer, the film itself is very unlikely to be good), we placed "The Interview" on our mental "only-if-it-ends-up-streaming-on-Netflix" list.
But that, of course, was before all the will-they-or-won't they, was-it-the-No-Ko's-or-wasn't-it drama surrounding the film's release, when it became part of the momentary cultural zeitgeist that if you don't see the film, the terrorists win. Even POTUS got in on the act ("As the president made clear, we are a country that believes in free speech, and the right of artistic expression."), despite the administration having taken what appears to be a contrary stance on an earlier inflammatory video.
So, feeling it necessary to do our bit for the cause of liberty and freedom of expression, we overcame our reluctance and schlepped out on Christmas day to a theater.
The movie was not as flat as we anticipated, and there were more than a few moments of genuine entertainment. But John Peter Zenger Franco and Rogan are not. What it says about our culture when a movie filled physical comedy, a lot of toilet humor, beaucoup f-bombs, inside jokes (those of us who are not Katy Perry fans needed to have a few of the gags explained to us), and ultraviolence that's beyond the usual cartoony fare of modern action movies, is the torchbearer for freedom, we have not yet decided.
But with our bar set low, "The Interview" was better than anticipated, and worth our effort. For that alone, we give it three stars.
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The Interview is not currently playing at any Hawaii theater but is rentable for $5.99 through YouTube Movies, Google Play, Microsoft’s Xbox Video, and SeeTheInterview.com.