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21 December 2014 THE INTERVIEW Talking Points Related: http://variety.com/2014/film/news/sonys-charles-sipkins-out-as-pr-chief-1201362402/
Source: GOP file: lweil00.ost/IPMRoot/Root - Mailbox/IPM SUBTREE/Inbox (9204)
To: Weil, Leah, Sony Counsel
we should run these by michael, amy and nicole, as well. See comments from me & Aimee below - call if you have any questions
From:
Guerin, Jean Hi Leah, Aimee, Given the news cycle out of North Korea on The Interview, we wanted your thoughts on the talking points that were developed for our filmmakers on their first round of interviews. Thank you, Jean TALKING POINTS SYNOPSIS: In the action-comedy The Interview, Dave Skylark (James Franco) and his producer Aaron Rapoport (Seth Rogen) run the popular celebrity tabloid TV show “Skylark Tonight.” When they discover that North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un is a fan of the show, they land an interview with him in an attempt to legitimize themselves as journalists. As Dave and Aaron prepare to travel to Pyongyang, their plans change when the CIA recruits them, perhaps the two least-qualified men imaginable, to assassinate Kim Jong-un. KEY POINTS: · The film is first and foremost, a comedy · It’s as much a skewering of the media and US society as it is of current events or North Korea · This is a different kind of movie for us. It’s definitely an all-out comedy, but we wanted to make a movie that was more sophisticated and smarter
POTENTIAL QUESTIONS: How would you describe this movie?
It’s a comedy about two woefully unprepared guys who land the interview
of a lifetime. One’s the earnest and self-important host of a
celebutainment interview show; the other is his loyal and trusted producer
who, despite his prestigious journalism degree, yearns to do more meaningful
and important journalism. They get an interview with one of the
most Why focus on Kim Jong-un? It’s a situation ripe for comedy. Randall, describe the Kim Jong-un you play.
Are you worried about repercussions on the world stage?
You give us too much credit. We did want it to be provocative –
but it’s also a The situation is North Korea is deadly serious. Why make a comedy about that?
We have a proud history of using comedy to shine a light on wrongdoing/ tragedy.
That’s what we’re trying to do here. Whether
it’s movies from the past, like Dr. Strangelove or Team America –
or current comedies like The Daily Show and Colbert and Veep or what the
cast of Saturday Night Live does every week – these are serious subjects,
but
they What do you hope people take away from this movie?
First, I hope they laugh. Second, that comedy can be serious business
– and that comedy is a perfectly valid way to convey social commentary
about Is this film racist? No. We’re calling out the absurdity of jingoism. When the characters say stupid, racist things, I think it’s pretty clear that we’re not making fun of how other people speak – the joke is how incredibly dumb these two guys are. And that joke pays off when they get in over their heads in this plot. But what’s the point of being so offensive? Ultimately, that’s what the movie is about – how dumb and unevolved these two guys are. It’s not clear in the movie if the CIA thinks they’re expendable or if this plan is just so crazy that it just might work – and it turns out, they’re perfect for the job, because they don’t care about anybody – just their own success. Are you releasing this film in Korea/Japan/Asia? You’ll have to ask the studio about that. Are there any concerns about the fact that Sony is a Japanese company? Any pushback from Tokyo on this movie? You’ll have to ask the studio about that. (Sony executives talking point: This is a Columbia Pictures release and our parent company has little to no involvement in the creative direction taken.)
Jean Guerin
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