2014 saw the release of one of Hollywoods more controversial productions. It was a bumpy road to get this movie into the public consciousness. After reports that any theatres showing this movie would be targeted by terrorist attacks, it later emerged that North Korean officials were behind the cyber attacks, forcing US president Borack Obama to bring down the iron fist of reason and empose sanctions on 10 North Korean officials, including their intelligence agency, an arms exporter and a defence procurement agency. Grossing more than $18m in online sales within its first week, and more than two million online purchases/ rentings within its first four days, made this film Sony pictures number 1 online movie of all time.
Breathe…Right!! So the movie
The plot sees two familiar faces come to our big screen, James Franco & Seth Rogan, who work for Skylark news corporation. Its presenter Franco (Dave Skylark), is a handsome cheeky chappy moving 100 mph. Starting the film off with an interview about Eminem coming out of the closet, we see Rogan (Aaron Rapoport) surprise Skylark with news of their 1000th episode party. However, at the party they are met by Rapoport’s old and rather condescending friend who makes light of the fact that they are putting out flighty material such as “Matthew McConaughey fucking a goat”.
After seeing on wikipedia that Kim Jong-Un is a fan of Skylark, they get the idea to have an interview with Kim, and this leads to the CIA booking them to “take him out”.
Our film follows the hapless plight of our 21st century laurel & hardy try to assassinate the totalitarian dictator with a handshake, but are stunted in their path with Skylark’s growing infatuation for the leader because of all his expensive cars, tanks, half naked women and their bonding over a Katy Perry song. The themes here feel almost directed to a 17 year old college student, rather than a mature viewer, and this is laden with flat, predictable sexual innuendoes and non sensical liners. Everything seems to be about getting your nut wet, and ignorant passive racism, “I hear absolutely everyone here is starving to death” Skylark remarks, leading to a later enlightenment that actually, Kim Jung-un is malnourishing his people.
The film continues its cheap laughs with Rapoport falling in love with head of propaganda for North Korea, continuous sexist reductions, and homophobic references to endure tears from the Korean leader leading to a revolution in North Korea. After this revelation, follows 10 minutes of action packed, and heavily financially backed explosions, gun shots, exploding helicopters, Tanks, Nukes, the whole shebang.
In a nutshell, this really is a film for immature college students because its the nonsensical and impressionable teens that would really relate with the narrative of this incongruent script. Granted its a comedy, and by in large, its facetious themes capture that, but in the least creative and original way. It uses homophobic, sexist, and racist dialogue to endure laughter, but in actuality highlight the worst in american culture. It’s another half-arsed hollywood production, which its success rode off the back of a very serendipitous PR campaign.