Even before its theatrical release, The Interview was the topic of many real life interviews and debates regarding the propriety of the film and whether it should have been released or whether it was simply too insensitive and offensive to the North Korean government specifically Kim Jung Un.

The film itself is about the celebrity gossip show, “Skylark Tonight”, and how in their attempt to tackle more hard hitting subject matter, the show’s host Dave Skylark (James Franco, Pineapple Express) and his producer Aaron Rapoport (Seth Rogen, Neighbors) set up an interview with Kim Jung Un (Randall Park, Sex Tape), the dictator of North Korea, who by chance is a fan of “Skylark Tonight” and grants them an interview. The pair is then recruited by the CIA to “take out” the leader of North Korea during the interview.

The Interview is exactly what those who follow Rogen and Franco would expect: childish, crass, semi-offensive humor. For those who have seen This is the End, then please understand that the creators version of heaven is a non-stop cocktail party with surprise performances by the Backstreet Boys, and therefore, their political take on North Korea should be taken in stride.

For those who would consider the tyrannical reign of Kim Jung Un to be no laughing matter, it is understandable why people would cringe at the plot of this movie. However, it is evident that this has been done throughout the history of film starting with Charlie Chaplin’s mockery of Adolf Hitler in The Great Dictator, Muammar Gadafi’s mockery in Hot Shots, and numerous presidential portrayals in film and on television. Much like in their portrayal of the Bible and the Apocalypse in This is the End, Rogen and Franco make no apologies for the way they poke fun of serious subject matter.

When the film was released, only 300 theaters had the courage to play it. One such theater owner, Alex Meadow, remarked, “The film is a satire, and satire more than has a place in society. It is important to be able to laugh at a world that is often frightening.” In the end, this film accomplishes the only goal that it probably set out to meet: it makes the audience laugh.