When Fred Flarsky (Seth Rogen) reunites with his first crush, one of the
most influential women in the world, Charlotte Field (Charlize Theron), he
charms her with his self-deprecating humor and his memories of her youthful
idealism. As she prepares to make a run for the Presidency, Charlotte hires
Fred as her speechwriter. A fish out of water on Charlotte’s elite team,
Fred is unprepared for her glamourous lifestyle in the limelight. Sparks
fly as their unmistakable chemistry leads to a round-the-world romance and
a series of unexpected and dangerous incidents.
Review
Director Jonathan Levine reunites with The Night Before and 50/50 actor
Seth Rogen for Long Shot, a very funny, if slightly far-fetched, political
based rom-com with an on-form Charlize Theron as the other half of the
mis-matched couple.
The comedic chemistry between the two is effective and engaging with
Rogen's schlubby, accident prone journalist contrasting nicely with
Theron's uptight Secretary of State.
The supporting cast is great too with June Diane Raphael impressively
stealing most of the scenes she appears in, while Bob Odenkirk, Andy Serkis
(gamely suffering under prosthetics as a suitably unpleasant media mogul)
and O'Shea Jackson Jr all get their moments to shine.
Personally I would have liked to have seen more of Kurt Braunohler, Claudia
O'Doherty and Paul Scheer who appear as a team of faux Fox News anchors,
though their punchline is worth the wait.
Though the film breaks the unwritten cardinal rule of comedy films by going
over the 2hr mark, and subsequently flags a little in the final stretch,
Long Shot is a solid, entertaining and frequently funny rom-com.
By Kevin Knapman
Long Shot (15)
2h 5m
Director: Jonathan Levine
Starring: Seth Rogen, Charlize Theron, Andy Serkis, June Diane Raphael, Ravi Patel, Bob Odenkirk, Alexander Skarsgård
