Interview (2007)
Runtime: 84 mins
Theatrical Release: Jul 13, 2007 Limited
Box Office: $252,499
Synopsis: The plot of actor/director Steve Buscemi's INTERVIEW is devilishly simple: a political journalist (Buscemi) is sent on a clearly beneath-him assignment to meet an attractive B-list soap star celebrity (Sienna Miller). He makes a mess of the interview, but winds up at her Manhattan loft... The plot of actor/director Steve Buscemi's INTERVIEW is devilishly simple: a political journalist (Buscemi) is sent on a clearly beneath-him assignment to meet an attractive B-list soap star celebrity (Sienna Miller). He makes a mess of the interview, but winds up at her Manhattan loft apartment following an unfortunate car accident. Thus begins an intriguing two-character plot arc in which the mismatched couple argue, drink, snort cocaine, argue some more, and ultimately find some common ground as they both loosen up and reveal some secrets. Buscemi's film is a remake of deceased Dutch director Theo Van Gogh's 2003 movie of the same name, and the director throws in a few neat references to the original, even aping Van Gogh's predilection for shooting on three cameras. Miller fits perfectly into the role of a disgruntled celebrity who can't contain her anger at the press, while Buscemi delivers an acting master class as the full-of-himself intellectual whose conversation is fueled by a haughty toleration for his sparring partner. INTERVIEW is a lengthy conversation piece that probably has more in common with an off-Broadway play than it does with any of Buscemi's filmmaking contemporaries, but it works, thanks to Buscemi's impressive direction and the superior source material, both of which provide plenty of scope for the two leads to flex their skills. [More]
Genre: Dramas
Starring: Steve Buscemi, Sienna Miller
Screenwriter: Steve Buscemi, David Schechter
Producer: Gijs van de Westelaken, Bruce Weiss
DVD Info
Release:
Dec 11, 2007
DVD Features:
- Anamorphic Widescreen - 1.78
Audio:
- Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
- Subtitles - English, Spanish - Optional
- Subtitles - English - Closed Captioned
Additional Release Materials:
- Audio Commentary - Steve Buscemi - Director
- Behind The Scenes
- Featurettes - "Triple Theo, Take One"
Buy It On DVD
Reviews
From its opening frame to its final revelation, Interview hums with life.
Interview comes across more like an acting exercise than a workable story.
I can't get on the Sienna Miller bandwagon. I can damn with faint praise: she's perfectly competent as an actor -- but that's it.
The wonderful thing about Interview is that we have no idea where it is going to lead. It's honest, conflicted and surprising, as journalist and actress battle words and emotions in a potent drama that takes us to unexpected places
Interview is well-made but depends almost entirely on its acting. Neither of the two principals let it down, even when the screenplay isn't quite as sharp as it could have been.
Sienna Miller as an airhead celeb more famous for her sex life than her movies? Quite a stretch for the British actress.
It pretends to be about the games of deceit that go on between men and women, but it's really just a squib on the culture of celebrity, and the cynical conclusion that's meant to pull us up short is feeble and silly beyond patience.
The friskiness of this pas de deux is something, and the acting duet enough of a selling point.
A talky, tricksy but never particularly convincing or involving drama.
There can hardly be a bigger waste of time than this conceited and self-indulgent two-hander directed by Steve Buscemi, remade from a Theo Van Gogh film.
Sienna does a good job of portraying Katya as a blonde, self-obsessed actress who is good at turning on the tears. Remarkable that.
The constant see-sawing of emotion eventually becomes repetitive and wearisome.
There’s some nicely written dialogue in this remake of a foreign movie, but it’s all extremely unsatisfying thanks to a so-what? ending and the script’s inability to make us warm to its two principal characters.
Snappy exchanges, smart acting and slick directing go to make up a wickedly entertaining work that's hugely enjoyable. A deft story about modern-day celebrity culture, it also proves what a talent Buscemi is as a director.
Interview is a decently acted two-hander fringe play that doesn't deserve to be on film.
Essentially it's a game of verbal ping-pong and, even if cynicism wins the day too easily in the end, the interplay is lively and intriguing.
Interview is a decent showcase for the talents of its stars, but may leave you in doubt over the talents of its originator. Hopefully the other Van Gogh remakes in production will sport more smartness and subtlety.
Ultimately, this two-hander feels limited in scale, but frisky and diverting while it’s on.
As an exercise in preconception-shattering, it works reasonably well. But as the characters veer between petulance and intimacy and back again - often within the same verbal exchange – the situation never really rings true.
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