Really enjoyable as a mirror to the silly tabloid drama that surrounded its own release. I mean, is there any question how well that worked as a publicity stunt? It's completely stupid, but in a carefree, endearing way that's somehow naive, innocent, profane and pointedly satirical all at the same time.
James Franco personally tilts the scale well past the bounds of self-restraint, constantly mugging and deliciously overplaying his part as the sleazy, brain-dead host of a televised celebrity gossip magazine. This, surprisingly, leaves Seth Rogen to play the (mostly) straight man, and for the most part he comes through.
I found a lot to snicker about, with one or two really big laughs sprinkled in at good intervals. Franco, the centerpiece, is all or nothing, killing it when his act is on point and failing spectacularly when it isn't. Either way, he's fun to watch. A few gags nudge into the uncomfortable realms of racial taboo, but for the most part it's an equal-opportunity offender, slinging just as much mud at American culture as it does North Korea's cult of personality. Wicked and twisted and sick, with a climactic shot that really has to be seen, I liked it a lot more than I expected to.
Review by drqshadowBlockedParent2020-02-03T19:18:54Z
Really enjoyable as a mirror to the silly tabloid drama that surrounded its own release. I mean, is there any question how well that worked as a publicity stunt? It's completely stupid, but in a carefree, endearing way that's somehow naive, innocent, profane and pointedly satirical all at the same time.
James Franco personally tilts the scale well past the bounds of self-restraint, constantly mugging and deliciously overplaying his part as the sleazy, brain-dead host of a televised celebrity gossip magazine. This, surprisingly, leaves Seth Rogen to play the (mostly) straight man, and for the most part he comes through.
I found a lot to snicker about, with one or two really big laughs sprinkled in at good intervals. Franco, the centerpiece, is all or nothing, killing it when his act is on point and failing spectacularly when it isn't. Either way, he's fun to watch. A few gags nudge into the uncomfortable realms of racial taboo, but for the most part it's an equal-opportunity offender, slinging just as much mud at American culture as it does North Korea's cult of personality. Wicked and twisted and sick, with a climactic shot that really has to be seen, I liked it a lot more than I expected to.