All the hubbub aside, the film isn't that great. It certainly has its funny moments. I always enjoy the comedic chemistry between Rogen and Franco. Unfortunately the film relies too often on really dumb butt jokes for its tent-pole laughs. The funniest parts to me were the throwaway lines like Franco's character claiming this will be bigger than Frosty/Nixon. The smart stuff was smart, but the butt stuff was more front-and-center. Towards the end things get a bit violent and Rogen plays it straight, reacting to every horrific act he sees the way I might in the situation, which was great, and actually pretty funny. Overall, they make some decent points about North Korea, and even illustrate how they're able to win over visiting media (or people like Dennis Rodman) in a salient yet hilarious manner. It would've benefited from a tighter cut of the film and just a couple less butt jokes.

2.5 Stars (out of 5)