History YMMV / TheInterview

* NoSuchThingAsBadPublicity:
** Zig-zagged. On one hand, the film got its premiere and its theater run initially cancelled and then severely scaled back to a limited theatrical/VOD release, and the controversy brought considerable damage to Creator/SonyPictures. On the other hand, it's gotten ''WAY'' more press than it would have if North Korea hadn't objected so loudly about it, and its release has sparked the interest of many people who had previously not considered seeing it. Ultimately, the film made a fraction of its originally predicted total. Back in November, prior to the Sony hack, [=BoxOfficeMojo=] [[http://boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=3940&p=.htm predicted]] a total domestic gross of about $90 million, and the international success of Rogen's previous film ''[[Film/{{Neighbors2014}} Neighbors]]'' indicated strong overseas prospects for the film. The cancellation of wide release crippled the film, and the film's VOD sales, which total [[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2899810/Sony-says-31million-online-demand-release-controversial-movie-Interview.html around $31 million]] and are quickly waning, are strong, but have little chance of fully recouping Sony's losses and will certainly not reach $90 million. While the publicity helped ''The Interview'' save some face, it ultimately would have been much better off if it had simply been a standard release.
* OlderThanTheyThink: Some may find the controversy this caused overblown since this is not the first film to mock the life and death of a living and in power head of state. ''South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut'' was made while Saddam Hussein was in office. In the film, Saddam got killed by a wild boar, went to Hell, became Satan's abusive gay boyfriend, is treated as the greater evil compared to the devil and gets killed again by Satan. Some could say, compared to this that, ''The Interview'' is rather tame. There's also the previously mentioned ''Team America: World Police'' which mocked Kim Jong-un's father, and some could arguably say Kim Jong-il took it better than his son did.

* CriticalDissonance: Subverted. The film received mixed or average reviews from critics that saw it in advance, but due to protest votes against the film being pulled, at one point, it was rated so highly on Website/{{IMDb}} by users that it overtook ''Film/TheShawshankRedemption'' as the highest-rated film on the website[[note]]though the site rules and algorithms prevented it from entering the Top 250[[/note]]. However, when the movie came out, it received significant HypeBacklash and the rating plummeted. It currently sits at a 6.8/10 rating, though most of the post-release user reviews are overwhelmingly negative and the score is only decent because it accumulated so many 10 votes from people who never saw the movie.

* OlderThanTheyThink: Some may find the controversy this caused overblown since this is not the first film to mock the life and death of a living and in power head of state. ''South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut'' was made while Saddam Hussein was in office. In the film Saddam got killed by wild boar, went to Hell, became Satan's abusive gay boyfriend, is treated as the greater evil compared to the devil and gets killed again by Satan. Some could say, compared to this that, ''The Interview'' is rather tame. There's also the previously mentioned ''Team America: World Police'' which mocked Kim Jong-un's father, and some could arguably say Kim Jong-il took it better than his son did.

* GeniusBonus: While originally done for the purposes of RuleOfCool and NoKillLikeOverkill, the protagonists' using the tank's cannon to shoot down Kim Jong-Un's helicopter isn't too far-fetched; US military tank crews are routinely trained to engage hostile helicopters with the tank's main gun as modern attack helicopters are unlikely to be brought down with machine gun fire except at very close range.

* ItWasHisSled: Given the nature of the movie serving as a propaganda piece, it's hardly a surprise that Kim Jong-Un is killed. In fact, the moment in question has basically become the film's SignatureScene (see below).

* OlderThanTheyThink: Some may find the controversy this caused overblown since this is not the first film to mock the life and death of a living and in power head of state. ''South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut'' was made while Saddam Hussein was in office. In the film Saddam got killed by wild boar, went to Hell, became Satan's abusive gay boyfriend, is treated as the greater evil compared to the devil and gets killed again by Satan. Some could say, compared to this that, ''The Interview'' is rather tame. There's also the previously mentioned ''Team America: World Police'' which mocked Kim Jong-Un's father, and some could arguably say Kim Jong-Il took it better than his son did.

* AlasPoorVillain: Despite everything he has done (in real life, most of which is not directly acknowledged within the movie itself) [[spoiler: Kim Jong Un's death]] could be seen as this considering that the film has shown him to be little more than a spoiled and indoctrinated child given too much power, which he fully embraced in the end. See also JerkassWoobie below.

* CrowningMomentOfAwesome: [[spoiler: Kim Jong-un's death. You know what he did in real life (especially that one stunt involving the controlling of the people's likes in South Korea) and it's just satisfying to see him look in terror/disbelief as flames (possibly symbolic of {{Hell}}) consume him. Best of all, he died with everyone knowing who he truly was, and the Kim line died with him.]] Heck, one could compare [[spoiler: his death]] to [[spoiler: [[Manga/DragonBall Frieza]]'s original death]].

** Is making a movie about a real foreign leader's assassination a topic too offensive even for parody, or is North Korea just being crybabies after dozens of Western films about Western leader assassinations? A few years prior, the state created and supported a video of North Korea bringing about a nuclear holocaust to the United States, which comes across as hypocritical in many eyes.
** There's also the argument whether or not this hack was started by North Korea [[UsefulNotes/ImageBoards at all]]. And is the U.S. Government's response to them justified.

* LoveItOrHateIt: Reviews of this film are ''very'' divided.

** Aaron isn't entirely a good person but he's one of the most sensible characters in the movie.

* ItWasHisSled: Given the nature of the movie serving as a propaganda piece, it's hardly a surprise that [[spoiler:Kim Jong-un is killed]]. In fact, the moment in question has basically become the film's SignatureScene (see below).

* ItWasHisSled: Given the nature of the movie serving as a propaganda piece, it's hardly a surprise that [[spoiler:Kim Jong-un is killed]]. In fact, the moment in question has basically become the film's Signature Scene (see below).

* CriticalDissonance: Subverted. The film received mixed or average reviews from critics that saw it in advance, but due to protest votes against the film being pulled, at one point, it was rated so highly on Website/{{IMDb}} by users that it overtook ''Film/TheShawshankRedemption'' as the highest-rated film on the website[[note]]though the site rules and algorithms prevented it from entering the Top 250[[/note]]. However, when the movie came out, it received significant HypeBacklash and the rating plummeted. It currently sits at a 6.8/10 rating, though the reviews are overwhelmingly negative and the score is inflated because it accumulated so many 10 votes from people who never saw the movie.

* CrowningMomentOfAwesome: [[spoiler: Kim Jong-un's death. You know what he did in real life (especially that one stunt involving the controlling of the people's likes in South Korea) and it's just satisfying to see him look in terror/disbelief as flames (possibly symbolic of Hell) consume him. Best of all, he died with everyone knowing who he truly was and the Kim line died with him.]] Heck, one could compare [[spoiler: his death]] to [[spoiler: Frieza's original death]].
** CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming: This event [[spoiler: causes North Korea to veer towards Democracy and start to open up to the world.]]
** {{Tearjerker}}: On the other hand, [[spoiler: his death]] could also show what happens when an innocent child is warped by pampering and teachings from his even worse father. Look below at the [[JerkassWoobie Jerkass Woobie entry]]. He's simply a spoiled and helpless child given too much power and he fully embraced that in the end.

* GeniusBonus: While originally done for the purposes of RuleOfCool and NoKillLikeOverkill, the protagonists' using the tank's cannon to shoot down Kim Jong-Un's helicopter isn't too far-fetched; US military tank crews are routinely trained to engaged hostile helicopters with the tank's main gun as modern attack helicopters are unlikely to be brought down with machine gun fire except at very close range.

* HypeBacklash: Oh, and how. With the Sony hack and major theatre chains pulling the film, it appeared to many as though that this film was going to be some kind of revolutionary political satire. Once they saw it they were highly disappointed by it being a typical SethRogen film, except that there's more blood.

HypeBacklash: Oh, and how. With the Sony hack and major theatre chains pulling the film, it appeared to many as though that this film was going to be some kind of revolutionary political satire. Once they saw it they were highly disappointed by it being a typical SethRogen film, except that there's more blood.

* OneSceneWonder: The unnamed North Korean soldier who [[spoiler: helps Skylark, Dave, and Sook escape from Kim's palace near the end of the movie. [[HeroicSacrifice He then stays behind to hold off several attacking guards while the other three make their escape.]]]] Whoever he was, that dude was a hero.

* LoveItOrHateIt: reviews of this film are ''very'' divided

* AssPull: {{Parodied|Trope}} with [[spoiler:Dave surviving being shot by Kim due to his wearing a bulletproof vest. The film Lampshades this by having Agent Lacy remark that she has no idea where he got that vest, but that she's glad he has it.

* AssPull: {{Parodied|Trope}} with [[spoiler:Dave surviving being shot by Kim due to his wearing a bulletproof vest. The film Lampshades this by having Agent Lacy remark that she has no idea where he got that vest, but that she's glad he has it. [[FridgeBrilliance He may have picked it up from the armory where Sook and Aaron got their guns and had sex]].]]

* AssPull: {{Parodied|Trope}} with [[spoiler:Dave surviving being shot by Kim due to his wearing a bulletproof vest. The filmed Lampshades this by having Agent Lacy remark that she has no idea where he got that vest, but that she's glad he has it. [[FridgeBrilliance He may have picked it up from the armory where Sook and Aaron got their guns and had sex]].]]

* InformedFlaw: We never actually see any of the hardships or atrocities of North Korean life. However we the viewers are aware of them and showing starving people and concentration camps would've certainly ruined the comical nature of the film.

* OlderThanTheyThink: Some may find the controversy this caused overblown since this is not the first film to mock the life and death of a head of state WHILE THEY WERE ALIVE AND STILL IN POWER. South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut was made while Saddam Hussein was in office. In the film Saddam got killed by wild boar, went to Hell, became Satan's abusive gay boyfriend, is treated as the greater evil compared to the devil and gets killed again by Satan. Some could say, compared to this that, The Interview is rather tame. There's also the previously mentioned Team Amercia: World Police which mocked Kim Jong-Un's father, and some could arguably say Kim Jong-Il took it better than his son did.

* OlderThanTheyThink: Some may find the controversy this caused overblown since this is not the first film to mock the life and death of a head of state WHILE THEY WERE ALIVE AND STILL IN POWER. South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut was made while Saddam Hussein was in office. In the film Saddam got killed by wild boar, went to Hell, became Satan's abusive boyfriend, is treated as the greater evil compared to the devil and gets killed again by Satan. Some could say, compared to this that The Interview is rather tame. There's also the previously mentioned Team Amercia: World Police which mocked Kim Jong-Un's father, and some could arguably say Kim Jong-Il took it better than his son did.

* OlderThanTheyThink: Some may find the controversy this caused overblown since this is not the first film to mock the life and death of a head of state WHILE THEY WERE ALIVE AND STILL IN POWER. South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut was made while Saddam Hussein was in office. In the film Saddam got killed by wild boar, went to Hell, became Satan's abusive boyfriend, is treated as the greater evil compared to the devil and gets kill again by Satan. Some could say, compared to this that The Interview is rather tame. There's also the previously mentioned Team Amercia: World Police which mocked Kim Jong-Un's father. Some could arguably say he took it better than his son did.