Owen Shaffer

An informative film educating audiences on the dangers and manipulation involved in the use of propaganda, and how familial structures in government lead to power-obsessive dictatorships. On top of all of that, it also just happens to be one of the funniest films I've ever seen.  The dynamic between Aaron Rapaport and Dave Skylark, played by Seth Rogen and James Franco respectively, perfectly demonstrates the juxtaposition between American stardom and unconfident mastermind. While Dave feels the freedom and fame of the Skylark success, so much so that he allows himself to be generally annoying and careless, Aaron on the other hand, is used to being in the shadows, leading to a more unsure and shy role in the plot. To tie each of these characters' general unpredictability to the plot, Agent Lacey, a CIA agent, is introduced as a form of structure in the film. Dave is confident yet stupid, Aaron is smart yet anxious, and Agent Lacey seems to be a mix of the two. Along with the structural support of Agent Lacey's character, she also brings a side of comedic expertise in the fact that she is a woman in a male-dominated field. The confliction between Dave's erratic comments and Lacey's position in power leads to an innovative new style of ironic progressive comedy which serves the film well, considering its overall risqué themes. Not to mention the segments from Skylark Tonight featured in the film which serve to highlight the campiness and lure of American reality TV. This also serves to setup the initial conflict of the film, getting Kim Jong Un on an interview, which in itself draws a line between the entertaining dialogues found in Skylark Tonight and the serious expectations found in audiences when addressing Kim Jong Un. Of course, Kim's entire reasoning for being on the show is to persuade Americans into siding with North Korea, which he continuously does through Dave, whether it be "opening up" to him about margaritas and Katy Perry, showcasing the awesomeness of his personal car collection and tank, or seducing him with beautiful women. All of this aids the overarching attempt at controlling the media and incorporating propaganda into it. Even exterior to the plot, propaganda can be seen everywhere in the movie. Kim Jong Un calling Jews "bad luck" for example, reinforces the idea that even Kim Jong Un, the master of deception, is susceptible to propaganda. The ultimate resolution of the film shows this distinction as well. As Dave goes on to tell his "tell all", it should be noted that his mission's story is also presented as advertisement.  Finally, Kim’s malnourished relationship with his father results in Kim gaining a complex in which everyone must see him as powerful. If he doesn’t get the respect he deserves, then he blows up in a full on tantrum and must show everyone his extravagant power. To me, this could also been seen as a metaphor on nepotism in Hollywood due to the movie’s close ties with the entertainment industry but that might be looking too far into it. I recently viewed a Letterboxd review of this movie where a user said the film was "stupid, but so committed to its stupidity it's kind of charming." Then proceeded to rate it as a 2/5 stars. While yes, all of these things are true and I'm certainly not here to tell anyone how to enjoy a film, I would like the record to show that the movie's message and themes go so much deeper than the surface that that unknown user scratched. And ultimately, I don't know if someone who is thinking about watching the film will be dissuaded by their propaganda, or if they had seen the movie, would they have known to ignore the advice? I guess we'll never know. 4.5/5 ⭐️