In a nutshell: Nice cast, nice sets, nice costumes, long story, nasty vampires 
Quick synopsis: Louie the vampire tells the story of his immortal life, from 1791 through the present
Content: Interview With a Vampire is much lighter faire than Do The Right Thing. Nothing topical...just vampires. There are some parallels that can be drawn to issues of loneliness, addiction and vice, but I wouldn't exactly call the film allegory or social commentary. Instead, I just sat back and enjoyed the ride in this film that pulled in crowds using one of popular culture's darkest and most enduring obsessions: vampires!
Vampires have gone in and out of fashion many times in the history of film, dating all the way back to the original vampire classics, Dracula and Nosferatu. And even those were based upon stories that go back hundreds of years further. But in case you haven't noticed, vampires are back in again. Just go to Borders and take a look at the best sellers in the 'teen' section. Of course the Twilight books lead the way, but every author worth their weight in salt is seemingly trying to cash in on the trend. But it hasn't all been tragic tales of forbidden love. There was a supposedly fantastic vampire movie to come out out Sweden called Let The Right One In which certainly has a different target audience. Check it out in its original form or wait for the impending US remake.
But decades before Stephanie Meyer, there was Anne Rice. Arguably equally as shameless in exploiting the obsession with the bloodsucking masters of the night, Rice wrote an entire series of adaptation-ready vampire novels, but only one turned into a memorable film: Interview with a Vampire.
Some Vampire film are period pieces filled with elaborate costumes and others place the vampires in today's society in order to give people chills. Interview has it both ways. It takes us on an epic 200-year journey as the immortal vampires make their way from 1791 to present-day San Francisco. The elaborate bayou settings are very cool, as is the gothic theater in Paris. The casting is well-done. An only mildly famous Brad Pitt is the star and works as the mopey, depressing, whiney Louis. Equally as good is Tom Cruise playing the much more flamboyant vampire, Lestat, who embraces the blood he sucks rather than cursing it as does Louis.
I don't have much to say about everything else other than it is long, but paced well, so it never drags. I didn't care too much about the encounter with the group of vampires in Paris until it turned deadly. The modern bookends with Christian Slater were creepy in a good way, and the final twist revealed that Interview is far more mischievous and less self-serious than I gave it credit for.
Growing up in the 90's, I'm surprised I missed Interview the first time around, but then again, I am not a girl and would therefore not go out of my way to catch a film with the holy triumvirate of Cruise, Pitt and Banderas (and vampires). Nevertheless I'm glad I caught up with it. I owe Chris and Jimmy from Scene Unseen for the recommendation. Listen to Scene Unseen podcast if you are into movies! It's easily my favorite movie podcast out there.
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