The Interview opens with a somewhat satirical, but harmless and unfunny, and as a result completely forgettable Hollywood circle jerk. Luckily this turns out to be the worst part of the movie, afterwards you will be bombarded with lowbrow jokes that simply haven't had that much thought put into them, but still might make you chuckle here and there. Franco's character being a complete moron opens up a lot of tried and obvious setups that will have your eyes rolling (if you're the type of person that engages in haughty eye rolling). The chemistry between Franco and Seth is of the usual quality, but suffers from the weak writing. The scenes with Franco and the Supreme Leader remain mostly lackluster and dull, and it is again only to a lesser extent the fault of the actors.
Despite the tagging as an action movie, most of the time the spy story remains a backdrop, if you expected something like Get Smart or Austin Powers you will be disappointed. There is some classic Hollywood action at the end, but it won't keep you on the edge of your seat (or even get you there). Similarly the setting remains a plot device, the seriousness of the matter pops up a few times, but is quickly swept away by the dominating comedic tone. There was an opportunity for some serious or semi-serious social commentary, but in the end the movie doesn't want to make you think, if that is for better or for worse is up to you to decide. As it is the end result is a forgettable movie, that would have been quickly forgotten if it weren't for the turbulences around its release.
If you like the idea of jokes somewhere between MacFarlane potty humor and Austin Powers, then this should be the right movie for you.
Despite the tagging as an action movie, most of the time the spy story remains a backdrop, if you expected something like Get Smart or Austin Powers you will be disappointed. There is some classic Hollywood action at the end, but it won't keep you on the edge of your seat (or even get you there). Similarly the setting remains a plot device, the seriousness of the matter pops up a few times, but is quickly swept away by the dominating comedic tone. There was an opportunity for some serious or semi-serious social commentary, but in the end the movie doesn't want to make you think, if that is for better or for worse is up to you to decide. As it is the end result is a forgettable movie, that would have been quickly forgotten if it weren't for the turbulences around its release.
If you like the idea of jokes somewhere between MacFarlane potty humor and Austin Powers, then this should be the right movie for you.