Sony’s The Interview’ disappoints despite patriotic choruses

It is difficult to comment on “The Interview” without mourning the current choice of vehicles in which the immensely talented James Franco has more lately been seen.

In the lesser-known “Sonny,’ his own ambitious writing and performances in “As I Lay Dying;” “Homefront,” “Howl” and “Milk” – among many other films – Franco has lived up to the expectations at which his early television experiences hinted. Even his recent performance on “Saturday Night Live” had admirable touches that make his playing of such a one-dimensional character in this movie all the more tragic.

Unfortunately, his talents are wasted in this off-centered road and buddy picture. I remain a committed Franco fan, hoping for a resumption of his stunted maturation in future endeavors.

The only conclusion I can come to for now is that Seth Rogen is a very bad influence on James Franco.

Rogen’s open advocacy of marijuana legalization likely does that movement little good if a product like this is the result of his recreational choices. This latest foray as a director, producer and writer is a strong living argument for those who think Cannabis is bad, although current consumers would likely disagree.

It is also impossible to comment on “The Interview” in a vacuum that ignores the political and cultural issues that engulf the film, but more about that later.

The non-spoiler summary is that tabloid television host Dave Skylark (Franco) and his producer Aaron Rapoport (Rogen) land an interview with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un (Randall Park) in North Korea. But the CIA recruits them to instead turn the trip into a mission of assassination.

Strictly as cinema, the film relies on over-used jokes, lots of poop and sex references and other blatant tools that pass for comedy but don’t make the grade with people other than, perhaps, 6th-graders.

Ironically it is Park whose performance shines; his portrayal of the manipulative dictator is amusing, tolerable and three-dimensional. Whatever role Rogen played in directing him should be lauded.

There are some moments in the film where the comedy actually does work, with scenes involving Park making up a hefty portion of them.

Had there been no hacking of Sony, allegedly by or at the behest of the North Korean government – according to U.S. officials – then this is likely a film that would have drawn star-quality box-office for a time only to fall like a failed rocket launch and rapidly migrate from theaters to your local Redbox or streaming service.

That the controversy and international implications of “The Interview” have already resulted in the investment of dollars for streaming or showings at random theaters throughout the U.S. gives rise to the frightening proposition that once released at the local multiplexes it might become a box office hit.

Attending this film has in itself become an event. Theater-goers, according to some reports, are singing “God Bless America” in some places prior to its screenings. There are far better films released over the past few years that might be deserving of such patriotic displays. But minus the group-think the film has spawned, such outpourings did not materialize.

It is quite possible – taking a more charitable approach – that possessing vision of the potential of Kim Jong-un to be an overseas bad guy of Hitlerian proportions, Rogen and company are sounding a comedic alarm to the world. But this film is no “Great Dictator” and neither Rogen nor Franco is Charlie Chaplin.

Other films have dealt with international and political hijinks that stretch the limits of believ-ability but have worked. “Wag The Dog,” based on Larry Beinhart’s brilliant novel – originally titled “American Hero.”

But they worked.

Basing a film on the assassination of a currently living individual, who will most likely be just as living when one leaves the theater, asks too much of the audience.

Even the implausible and unfortunate “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” does not stretch the limits of believability in as overt a fashion.

The final assessment here is that viewing “The Interview” as a way of standing up against terrorists – whether they be hackers or the leaders of North Korea – is excusable and probably a very good thing. Perhaps the phenomenon might help bring Americans closer together, during a time when we ourselves have been so divided.

But unless you are already a fan of Rogen and Franco’s prior partnerships such as the stoner comedies “Pineapple Express” or “This Is The End,” and can tolerate bad cinema that people with money and influence make just because they can, then don’t expect to leave the theater or get back to your activities at home after streaming feeling inspired or otherwise uplifted. But you may get a few cheap laughs.

Sony’s The Interview’ disappoints despite patriotic choruses