Seth Rogen as we’ve always seen him before!
We kind of know what to expect from Rogen’s (Knocked Up) movies. The actor may pretty much play the same character in every film, but that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. He clearly enjoys playing the goofy ‘stoner’ role, and I enjoy watching him play it – so it’s ultimately a win, win!
In Long Shot, Rogen stars as Fred Flarsky, an undercover journalist who we see at a white supremacist gathering at the start of the movie. His half-hearted attempts to fit in with those around him give us a glimpse of the kind of film we’re about to watch… one that has moments of controversy and is very funny to boot!
Remember in Notting Hill, the filmmakers had to convince us that a world-famous actress could fall in love with an unknown book shop owner. Long Shot has a similar premise, with director Jonathan Levine (Warm Bodies, 50/50) having to convince us that Fred could stand a chance with the hugely successful US Secretary of State, Charlotte Field (Charlize Theron), when she hires him as her speechwriter as she runs for the Presidency. And thanks to some amazing on-screen chemistry between the leads – it’s actually very believable.
So, Jennifer Lawrence… if you’re reading this, call me!
Long Shot is a true modern love story. One example of this is how it swaps the gender stereotypes, with Rogen showing his sensitive side (reminding himself that he is worthy of love) while Theron plays a strong, independent leader. In relation to this, there was a great moment where the characters needed to carry two unconscious bodies to safety. Theron shows little to no struggle with a hefty sized man hanging over her shoulders – whereas that is clearly not the case for Rogen.
There’s a few nods to our crazy world of politics. There’s a President who seems a little too focused on fame and financial gain, an overly handsome Canadian Prime Minister, and a sleazy conservative media mogul (played by an almost unrecognisable Andy Serkis). So yes, there are some political messages thrown in, but not too much so that I felt they were being shoved down my throat.
For me, the most powerful message in the movie focused on our crazy culture where the personalities of public figures are practically created based around the results of public opinion polls.
Surely it’s our flaws that make us more human? That really comes across in this movie. Granted, they make their point in a hilariously vulgar way – you’ll know the part I mean once you’ve seen the film – but its stand-out moments take it above the genre norm.
Which means this isn’t a long shot if you want a decent comedy night out at the flicks.
Rating: 4/5
Mikey Clarke
CAST: CHARLIZE THERON, SETH ROGEN, JUNE DIANE RAPHAEL, O’SHEA JACKSON JR, BOB ODENKIRK, ANDY SERKIS, RANDALL PARK, ALEXANDER SKARSGARD, LISA KUDROW & RAVI PATEL
RUNNING TIME: 2 HRS 5 MINS
DIRECTOR: JONATHAN LEVINE
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