In June 2014, the North Korean government threatened "merciless" action against the United States if the film's distributor, Columbia Pictures, went ahead with the release. Columbia delayed the release from October 10 to December 25, and reportedly edited the film to make it more acceptable to North Korea. In November, the computer systems of parent company Sony Pictures Entertainment were hacked by the "Guardians of Peace", a group the FBI believes has ties to North Korea. After leaking several other then-upcoming Sony films and other
sensitive internal information, the group demanded that Sony pull The Interview, which it referred to as "the movie of terrorism". On December 16, 2014, the Guardians of Peace threatened terrorist attacks against cinemas that played The Interview.
On December 17, after a number of major North American cinema chains canceled screenings in the interest of safety, Sony canceled the theatrical release of The Interview, drawing criticism from the media, Hollywood figures and U. S. President Barack Obama. After initially stating that it had no plans to release the film, Sony made The Interview available for online rental and purchase on December 24, and via a limited release at selected cinemas on December 25. It has earned $15 million online, making it Sony's most successful online movie. It received mixed reviews.
Dave Skylark (James Franco), host of the talk show Skylark Tonight, interviews celebrities about personal topics and gossip. After Dave and his crew celebrate their 1,000th episode, they discover that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (Randall Park) is a fan of Skylark Tonight, prompting the show's producer Aaron Rapoport (Seth Rogen) to arrange an interview. Aaron travels to rural China to receive instructions from Sook (Diana Bang), a North Korean official, and Dave accepts the task of interviewing Kim.
CIA agent Lacey (Lizzy Caplan) proposes that Dave and Aaron assassinate Kim to facilitate a coup d'état by use of a transdermal strip that will expose Kim to ricin via handshake; they reluctantly agree. Upon their arrival in North Korea, one of Kim's bodyguards discovers the strip and chews it, believing it to be gum. Lacey airdrops two more strips from an UAV and instructs Aaron to smuggle them into the palace rectally.
Dave spends the day with Kim, who persuades him that he is misunderstood, and they become friends. At dinner, the bodyguard exposed to ricin has a seizure, and inadvertently shoots and kills Kim's other bodyguard before dying. The next morning, Dave feels guilty and discards one of the ricin strips, then thwarts Aaron's attempt to poison Kim with the final strip. At another dinner, Dave discovers Kim's true malicious character and that the nearby grocery store is a façade.
Aaron and Sook confess their attraction to each other; Sook reveals that she despises Kim and apologizes for defending the regime. Dave, Aaron and Sook form a plan to break Kim's cult of personality by causing him to weep on air, thus revealing to the North Korean people that Kim is not a god but a man. During the internationally televised interview with Kim, Dave addresses increasingly sensitive topics and challenges Kim's need for his father's approval. Kim weeps uncontrollably and soils himself, ruining his reputation. Sook and Aaron seize control of the broadcasting center and fend off guards trying to halt the broadcast. Kim shoots Dave, who survives due to his bulletproof vest.
Dave, Aaron and Sook escape in a tank, with Kim pursuing in a helicopter. Kim orders that North Korea's nuclear missiles are prepared for launch; before Kim can issue the command, Dave destroys the helicopter with the tank, killing Kim. Sook guides Dave and Aaron to an escape route, and they are rescued by SEAL Team Six members disguised as North Korean troops. Dave writes a book about his experience, and North Korea becomes a democracy with Sook's help.
Cast
- Main cast
- James Franco as Dave Skylar
- Seth Rogen as Aaron Rapoport
- Lizzy Caplan as Agent Lacey
- Randall Park as Kim Jong-un
- Diana Bang as Sook
- Timothy Simons as Malcolm
- Anders Holm as Jake
- Charles Rahi Chun as General Jong
- Eminem as himself
- Rob Lowe as himself
- Bill Maher as himself
- Seth Meyers as himself
- Joseph Gordon-Levitt as himself
- Ben Schwartz as Eminem's publicist
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