Movie Breakdown: Long Shot
Pre-Screening Stance:
Jonathan Levine (Warm Bodies, 50/50, The Night Before) is a super solid director, Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron are two very likeable actors, and Long Shot seemed to go over pretty well when it premiered back at SXSW. I’m expecting this to be a good one.
Post-Screening Ramble:
If you’re a fan of R-rated romantic comedies like Knocked Up, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Wedding Crashers and others, then Long Shot is going to be a real winner for you. Fred Flarsky (Seth Rogen) is a journalist who decides to quit his job after the online publication he works for gets bought by a huge media conglomerate. In the midst of wallowing, he ends up at a fancy party with his best friend, Lance (O’Shea Jackson Jr.), and while there he runs into Charlotte Field (Charlize Theron), his former babysitter and the current Secretary of State. They have a small moment, she decides to look into his work and then opts to hire him to punch up her speeches. Considering that this is a rom-com, you can likely guess what happens once they hit the road together, so that’s that on the plot details. I will say this though, there’s a sharp political edge that does well to elevate the story. There’s stabs at Trump, the life and work of politicians, etc., and the film is certainly better (and different) because of it. There’s also a good dose of role reversal here that’s pretty refreshing. Sure, ostensibly it’s a pretty woman falling for a dopey-looking guy and we’ve seen that in plenty of rom-coms, but if you take a less cynical look at Long Shot, what you see is that Charlotte is a very powerful woman who is interesting enough to carry the movie all on her own. And Fred? Well, let’s face it, Fred is … Seth Rogen. He’s just a regular dude, and it’s on him to figure out a way to fit into the life of a woman who is the end all be all. How often is that the case in movies of this sort?
Long Shot is a really funny film with plenty of heartfelt moments that keep it from being too goofy. I do think its final moments are a bit clumsy and too heavy handed, but it’s so enjoyable up until then that this stumble doesn’t really register as particularity negative. Definitely think you should see the movie.
One Last Thought:
This movie made me want to see O’Shea Jackson Jr. in a lot more stuff. I know he’s got a part in the upcoming Godzilla: King Of Monsters, but hopefully he gets the chance to star in something soon. The guy oozes charisma.
