Why It Ranks
The Interview became a geopolitical crisis. North Korea hacked Sony. Theaters pulled the film. Obama weighed in. It became the first major digital-first release by a major studio. The comedy is good; the saga around it is legendary. The most consequential comedy since Chaplin's The Great Dictator.
The Film
The Interview became the most controversial comedy since Life of Brian — not because of its content but because North Korea allegedly hacked Sony Pictures to prevent its release. A comedy about a talk show host and his producer recruited by the CIA to assassinate Kim Jong-un became an international incident. The film itself is a solid Rogen-Franco buddy comedy elevated by Randall Park's surprisingly sympathetic Kim Jong-un. But the hack, the threats, and the eventual digital-only release made it a free speech landmark.
Fun Facts
The Sony hack leaked thousands of confidential emails, including embarrassing executive communications about other stars.
President Obama publicly stated that Sony 'made a mistake' by initially pulling the film from theaters.
Randall Park's Kim Jong-un was so charming that test audiences reportedly felt conflicted about the assassination plot.
The film earned $40 million in digital rentals in its first four days — proving the viability of digital-first major releases.
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