Interview is a decently acted two-hander fringe play that doesn't deserve to be on film.
Interview (2007)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:120
Fresh:69
Rotten:51
Average Rating:6/10
Consensus: Captivating performances from Steve Buscemi and Sienna Miller make a seemingly simple premise gripping and entertaining.
Rated: R [See Full Rating] for language including sexual references, and some drug use.
Runtime: 84 mins
Genre: Dramas
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... 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]
Starring: Steve Buscemi, Sienna Miller
Starring: Steve Buscemi, Sienna Miller
Director: Steve Buscemi
Director: Steve Buscemi
Screenwriter: Steve Buscemi, David Schechter
Producer: Gijs van de Westelaken, Bruce Weiss
Studio: Sony Pictures Classics
Get This Movie
Reviews for Interview
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.
Stagey filming aside, this is a sharp and controlled study of celebrity obsession.
Pretty far from being a great movie, but it's not without its pleasures -- mostly due to the performers.
Interview isn't essential viewing, but it has a message for the media and its audience worth absorbing.
Stagey but enjoyable drama with superb performances from its two leads.
With her performance in Interview, Sienna Miller does more for today's tabloid-fixture starlets than they'll ever do for themselves.
Rainer Werner Fassbinder might have been able to make us care for these characters; Buscemi and Miller are only able to get us to concede their chops.
There is precious damn little about watching a reporter and an actress trying to outsmart each other that could possibly be described as "compelling."
Emotional honesty in the service of nonsense is still nonsense, no matter how many scabs it manages to pick at.
A one-act play in search of a black box theater and an audience unfamiliar with such intense cat-and-mouse character studies as 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'
There is something perversely appealing about this film. Maybe it's the way Interview astutely comments on celebrities and our perceptions of them, as well as questioning the sincerity and truthfulness of the media.
There's just one hysterical scene after another, ideal for an acting class but off-putting over the course of even a relatively short film like this one.
Remaking a 2003 original by the slain Dutch director Theo van Gogh, Buscemi has produced a charmingly perplexing portrait that’s anything but a knockoff.
Interview, a mood swing of a film with a trap-door resolution, is never much more than an elliptical exercise in symbiotic insincerity.
Latest News for Interview
June 20, 2008:
RT Interview: Sienna Miller on Dylan Thomas, G.I. Joe and Nottingham
The bohemian actress on The Edge of Love and her upcoming projects. More...
December 14, 2007:
Atonement, Control Lead London Film Critics Noms
The London Critics Circle has announced the nominees for its year-end awards, with Anton Corbijn's Control and Joe Wright's Atonement leading the pack at eight nominations apiece. More...
December 08, 2007:
American version of deceased Dutch Director's drama due on DVD. ![]()
More...
July 12, 2007:
Critical Consensus: "Harry Potter" Is Certified Fresh; "Captivity" Fails To Capture Critics' Hearts
This week at the movies, we've got the latest in the "Harry Potter" series ("Order of the Phoenix," starring Daniel Radcliffe), and a tale of kidnapping and... More...
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 15% 15% | The Ugly Truth |
| 98% 98% | Up |
| 36% 36% | G.I. Joe: The Rise of … |
| 52% 52% | The Taking of Pelham 1… |
| 45% 45% | Ice Age: Dawn of the D… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 45% 45% | Shorts |
| 53% 53% | David & Layla |
RT On Current TV
DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196 | More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
CloseSponsored Links
Fresh Links
Featured

The director talks about puppetry perfection and his film, Fantastic Mr. Fox

Hollywood.com ponders whether or not an animated film could win Best Picture.

Richard Corliss previews the season's best offerings and hottest tickets.

The AV Club's Mike D'Angelo airs his beefs with Alfonso Cuaron's Children of Men.
Promos

Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!







