2019’s Long Shot, directed
by Jonathan Levine.
Starring Charlize Theron, Seth Rogan, June Diane Raphael,
Ravi Patel, Bob Odenkirk, O'Shea Jackson Jr, Randall Park, Andy Serkis, Tristan
D. Lalla, and Alexander Skarsgård.
What is it about?
Successful and ambitious Secretary of State Charlotte Field
(Charlize Theron), is informed by the President of the United States (Bob
Odenkirk) that he’ll endorse her to replace him as President. On the campaign
trail, she runs into former childhood neighbour, Fred Flarsky (Seth Rogan).
Unemployed and as schlubby as it gets, Charlotte hires Fred to write speeches
for her candidacy- leading to them experiencing long lost feelings for each
other. With forces such as billionaire influencer Parker Wembley (Andy
Serkis) wanting to compromise on her ideologies, and Fred’s rough
edges not being copacetic to American voters, will the two of them be able to
survive life as a couple in the public eye?
Why is it worth seeing?
I’m not sure there’s a better actor out there at portraying
man-children suffering through arrested development than Seth Rogan- he’s the
Humphrey Bogart of “adultescents”. Half Neverland and half High Times inspired, he makes the perfect foil to his romantic
counterpart’s professional precision. This is the third time Rogan has worked
with director Jonathan Levine (50/50
and The Night Before), so the two of them are perfectly in synch with
portraying his intensely underwhelming young adult vibes.
Rogan’s object of affection, played by Charlize Theron, is as fluid and magnetic a performer as he is consistently sloppy. Cast as a regal political figure who learns how to put her hair down, Theron is more than up to the challenge. She is the film, commanding every scene she’s in- a delicious entrée manipulating the audience the same way her character works the room at political functions. It’s easy to empathize with her working through the relentlessly hypocritical fishbowl that she swims in, and marvel at how adroitly she navigates an environment of toxic masculinity masquerading as conservative world views. It’s that competence and ambition that make it so alluring to see behind the curtain, as she opens herself up to the possibility of something beyond career ambition. More please- it’s the stuff movie stars are made of.
Rogan’s object of affection, played by Charlize Theron, is as fluid and magnetic a performer as he is consistently sloppy. Cast as a regal political figure who learns how to put her hair down, Theron is more than up to the challenge. She is the film, commanding every scene she’s in- a delicious entrée manipulating the audience the same way her character works the room at political functions. It’s easy to empathize with her working through the relentlessly hypocritical fishbowl that she swims in, and marvel at how adroitly she navigates an environment of toxic masculinity masquerading as conservative world views. It’s that competence and ambition that make it so alluring to see behind the curtain, as she opens herself up to the possibility of something beyond career ambition. More please- it’s the stuff movie stars are made of.
Screenwriters Dan Sterling and Liz Hannah have to decide if they’re going to
make a film that is more rom com than political thriller, or vice versa, and
end up with mixed results. The challenge they run into is that the romance,
between Rogan’s slob and Theron’s political matriarch, while predictable, isn’t
quite believable- am I the only one who thinks it wouldn’t be much more than a very
brief fling? The divide between the two of them, combined with their radically
different day jobs (at times one is unemployed), is a difficult pill to
swallow- but not as difficult as the one where we see a political sphere
depicted where the House of Cards doesn’t start with the soul destroying
compromises until it’s time to run
for president. I’m afraid the Layer Cake runs high and far when it comes to the
Oval Office. The rom com staple of having a supportive best friend (O'Shea
Jackson, Jr, exploding with fake charm and unbelievable job circumstances) also
does little to enhance the setting. Better is a almost unrecognizable Andy
Serkis, both chomping at the bit and underplaying when compared to his other,
more furrier and balder characters.
Levine has a number of films to his credit, but despite
that, this is the most Jason Reitman-esque movie Reitman’s never made. From
Theron’s prominent role, the oppressively white protagonists, the Indy
background music, and the 90’s band reunion (Boyz 2 Men), it’s very
indistinctive. However, Levine’s decision to show some scenes of bodily fluids
take a film that has rom-com aspirations and grounds it into Porky’s and There’s Something About Mary territory- from the romantic to the
scatological. It’s tough to think of a scenario where it makes the movie
stronger. While the film is crass, it’s a line that is crossed and is the worse
for it. Think it’s a strong scene? Imagine if it was powered by imagination.
With plenty of quibbles (and trademark awkward Rogan laughs) in between, it’s Theron’s animal magnetism that takes the film’s chances of being excellent, from non existent, to more of a long shot.
With plenty of quibbles (and trademark awkward Rogan laughs) in between, it’s Theron’s animal magnetism that takes the film’s chances of being excellent, from non existent, to more of a long shot.
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