Long Shot (2019) Review

"I'm not going to nuke a tsunami."
-President Chambers




Unemployed journalist, Fred Flarsky (Seth Rogen), has a chance encounter with his childhood crush and former babysitter, Charlotte Field (Charlize Theron), who is now the U.S. Secretary of State.  She offers him a job as her speech writer to help with her upcoming Presidential campaign.  The two quickly develop feelings for each other and have to figure how to navigate the politics of both love and...actual politics.


What Works:

Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron have remarkably good chemistry.  I wasn't expecting to be as invested in their story as I was.  I'm not really a big rom-com guy, but Long Shot does the job thanks to Rogen's and Theron's performances.  They are both very likable, but flawed and both of their points of view make sense.

O'Shea Jackson Jr. plays Fred's best friend, Lance.  Everyone needs a Lance in their life.  Jackson does an incredible job and Lance is an extremely supportive and fun character.  He is equal parts wanting to party and totally wholesome in his advice.

Finally, this film has a few moments of very raunchy humor, but it's only a few.  They come out of nowhere, but add a lot to the story.  There is an especially funny moments where Charlotte gives Fred some unexpected orders in the bedroom.  I laughed so hard I almost cried,


What Sucks:

There are a few moments where the humor falls flat, but more importantly, this movie isn't subtle at all.  Politics is a part of the story, so it's no surprise when allusions to real-life politics creep into the film.  The problem is they are far too blatant and not clever at all.  I don't mind them taking shots at real-life people and corporations, but at least be a little clever in the way you go about it.  A few times I simply had to roll my eyes at how blatant everything was.


Verdict:

Long Shot is a surprisingly good rom-com bolstered by excellent performances from Rogen, Theron, and Jackson.  Plus the raunchy moments are sprinkled into the film to perfection.  The political aspects aren't subtle and not all of the humor works, but this movie has absolutely got it going on.

 8/10: Really Good 

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