Movie · 2014 · Action, Comedy · 1h 52m · R · English
Curator score: 1.9/10 (901.1K ratings)
The film hackers tried to get banned.
Overview
Dave Skylark and his producer Aaron Rapaport run the celebrity tabloid show "Skylark Tonight". When they land an interview with a surprise fan, North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, they are recruited by the CIA to turn their trip to Pyongyang into an assassination mission.
Ratings
Curator score: 1.9/10
IMDb: 6.5/10
Letterboxd: 3.06/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 51%
Metacritic: 52
TMDB: 6.2/10
Director
Evan Goldberg, Seth Rogen
Production
Point Grey Pictures, Columbia Pictures, LStar Capital
Cast
James Franco, Seth Rogen, Lizzy Caplan, Randall Park, Diana Bang, Timothy Simons, Reese Alexander, James Yi, Paul Bae, Geoff Gustafson, Dominique Lalonde, Anesha Bailey, Anders Holm, Charles Rahi Chun, Don Chow, Colin Foo, Larry Hoe, Cleo Yeh, Yuna Song, Michelle Kim McCoy
Curator Review
Verdict
A loud, shamelessly stupid celebrity-satire action comedy that gets by on commitment, chemistry, and sheer audacity more than precision. Its biggest draw is the taboo-busting premise and the Rogen/Franco double act; its biggest weakness is that the jokes are uneven and the satire is often as broad as the explosions.
Best for
Viewers who like raunchy studio comedies with a mean streak
Fans of buddy-comedy chemistry and improv-heavy banter
People curious about infamous, headline-making movies
Audiences in the mood for absurd political satire rather than realism
Skip if
You want sharp, disciplined satire
You dislike crude humor and juvenile sex jokes
You prefer action movies with serious stakes and clean plotting
The premise alone feels too cynical or too reckless
Overview
The Interview is the rare comedy that feels like it was built to court controversy, then somehow survives on charisma and timing. It takes a wildly irresponsible premise and pushes it into a zone where stupidity becomes part of the joke, with the movie constantly daring you to be offended before it tries to make you laugh.
Worth noting
What works best is the central pairing: James Franco and Seth Rogen are fully committed to playing idiots who stumble into something much bigger than themselves. The film has a scattershot energy, but when the banter lands, it lands because it’s so shamelessly dumb and so eager to keep escalating.
Bottom line
The satire is blunt rather than insightful, and the action-comedy mechanics are inconsistent. Still, there’s a strange charm in how far it’s willing to go, and that audacity is enough to make it memorable even when it isn’t especially elegant.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Kenneth Clark (3.5★) · 2832 likes
Still waiting on a sequel with Putin
Ben_Turnbull (2★) · 2587 likes
Stupid, but so committed to its stupidity it's kind of charming.
Evan (3.5★) · 2222 likes
I laughed my ass off. I fuckin love Seth Rogen & James Franco.
"Do you ever feel...like a plastic bag?"
amber ᱬ (2★) · 1341 likes
i really loved those 5 seconds of joseph gordon levitt hugging dogs
2008 · Action, Comedy, Adventure · 1h 47m · R · Curator 5.8/10 (1.2M ratings) · Where to watch: Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, MGM Plus
A big, reckless Hollywood satire that thrives on bad behavior, escalating chaos, and performers fully committing to the bit.
2012 · Action, Comedy, Crime · 1h 49m · R · Curator 5.8/10 (1.8M ratings) · Where to watch: fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, TNT, TBS, tru TV
A mainstream studio comedy that turns absurdity into momentum while keeping the buddy dynamic front and center.
2014 · Crime, Comedy, Action · 1h 52m · R · Curator 4.5/10 (1.2M ratings) · Where to watch: fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, TNT, TBS, tru TV
Bigger, sillier, and more self-aware, with a similar love of meta-jokes and reckless escalation.