★★★★
Journalist Fred Flarsky reunites with his childhood crush, Charlotte Field, now one of the most influential women in the world. As she prepares to make a run for the Presidency, Charlotte hires Fred as her speechwriter and sparks fly.
Classification: 15
Long Shot is a hilarious and heartwarming comedy that starts strong and doesn’t falter as it combines the strengths of both its leads and allows them to thrive in both comedy and drama. Rogen’s style of humour mixed with a less than subtle reflection of modern American politics works surprisingly well, with it never being overbearing with its commentary and allowing the characters and the humour to drive the story.
The star of the film is Charlize Theron, who continues to prove how she is one of the most versatile and talented actresses on screen. Her and Rogen’s chemistry is palpable and their on-screen romance is never unbelievable as Theron brings a real human vulnerability to her performance. This, combined with superb comedic writing and confidence of director Jonathan Levine allows Theron to steal almost every scene she’s in. Long Shot also boasts a strong supporting cast that involves O’Shea Jackson Jr. June Diane Raphael and an unrecognisable turn from Andy Serkis that gives both Theron and Rogen plenty of hilarious situations to blossom in.
Long Shot main focus is on the romantic comedy between its leads, but the story’s structure is built around a parody of current American politics. With a former television star now President, Right-wing media moguls controlling politicians through partisan news and blackmail and a female secretary of state seeking the presidency. It’s very clear what’s the inspiration for what but it doesn’t try to be a think piece for the Drumpf era of politics and lets Rogen and Theron do what they do best. Actually, Long Shot feels more akin to the romantic comedies of the 1990s specifically Pretty Woman or The American President.
It’s character and comedy first, with politics being the setting and it allows for conflicts to arise between Theron and Rogen’s characters. They are both idealists but where Theron is willing to compromise to play the game, Rogen remains firm in his beliefs. It leads to a commentary on gender politics and the expectations that are put on upon by society. The romance between Theron and Rogen is thought to be by the supporting cast as ridiculous and an embarrassment to Theron’s character. Long Shot allows its comedy to explore how stereotypes of not only to the main characters but to the world of the story are detrimental.
Hilarious and charming with a story that allows an authentic romance to flourish which will have audiences howling with laughter. Long Shot isn’t a comedy that relies on a crutch of Seth Rogen being Seth Rogen but utilises every element available to deliver the best film possible. With a sharp script, strong direction and terrific performances from Rogen and Charlize Theron, Long Shot is most definitely a sure thing at the cinema.
Director: #JonathanLevine
Cast: #SethRogen, #CharlizeTheron, #OSheaJacksonJr, #AndySerkis, #JuneDianeRaphael, #BobOdenkirk, #AlexanderSkarsgård
Release Date: May 3rd 2019
Trailer:
Written review copyright ©CoreyBullochReviews
Images and Synopsis from the Internet Movie Database
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