“The Interview”

interview1The Axis of Evil didn’t want me seeing this movie. So my principled self streamed it last night on YouTube ($5.99).

It’s schlock, but more or less entertaining schlock. It has a 50% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which sounds about right. It’s a slight notch above my “good enough to watch on an airplane” bar. Right around the level of “perfect for continuing to avoid those serious documentaries and dramas that have been in my aspirational Netflix queue for 2 years.”

It had truly hilarious moments and very dull ones, and mostly lame plot lines. But good performances by genuinely funny and likable people. I got a kick out of Randall Park’s Kim Jong Un.

I say: buy it for the principle and watch it if you have an evening you’d normally waste on something else.

Of course I’ll be thrilled for Sony if they end up making real money off the film. But a victory for freedom? Hardly. The North Koreans win either way. I can’t see a studio running with another anti-NK script anytime soon, for fear of the hacking or other threats. Even if the studios get courageous, their insurance companies probably won’t. And the theater chains already demonstrated their misplaced cowardice. A sad day for Hollywood. But in the new Golden Age of television, most days are sad for Hollywood.

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