Calling The Interview 'Satire' Is an Insult to Satire

In his criticism of Sony yesterday, President Obama referred to the Seth Rogen flick The Interview as a "satirical movie." That would be overstating things, writes Betsy Sharkey in the Los Angeles Times, one of the critics who saw the movie before it got yanked. "Characterizing it as satire elevates the creative execution of the film's very silly faux assassination of North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un far beyond what it merits," she writes. This isn't some brilliant Colbert-style takedown of Pyongyang, it's a "crude, rude, Three-Stooges styled comedy."

That doesn't make the free-speech arguments in its favor any less salient, but Sharkey wonders whether even North Koreans who see the movie might think, We threatened 9/11-level attacks over this? One bright spot in the film is its portrayal of Kim, writes Sharkey, which prompts her to wonder something else: "Has the studio provided a 24/7 security detail for actor Randall Park? Because he delivers a scathing parody of Kim that just might be the finest and funniest possible." Click for the full review. (More The Interview stories.)