Long Shot Review

Long Shot is more than another funny Seth Rogen romp, it’s a clever satire of today’s political climate that points out holes on both sides.

Secretary of State Charlotte Field (Theron) has presidential aspirations, but could use some humor to punch up her speeches. Fred Flarsky (Rogen), a vocal journalist, has just lost his job. The two stumble upon each other at a party, connect through an old memory, and eventually realize they are the ones they are looking for. Yay.

Charlize Theron has become one of my favorite actresses working today, and Rogen is one of my favorite comedians, so imagine the excitement let alone the surprise I felt when I heard they were working on a project together. It’s a bit of an absurd pair up at first, but the two quickly gel through Rogen’s passive attitude meeting Theron’s more authoritative manner, and the dynamic flipping script when necessary with Rogen calling out bulls***.

Where Long Shot impresses is in its ability to cram many different aspects of the current political landscape into its script and exaggerate/expose them for their own ridiculousness; I mean, the film opens up at a white supremacy meeting. And I have to give further credit to the film for avoiding being one-sided, despite appearing left-leaning at times, the overall message of the film is one to bring everyone together.

The film does feel a little long, but otherwise is full of laughs and subtle wit; Long Shot is like SNL’s recent cold openings, but better and smarter and attached to a love story. 8/10

Author: Teddy Frederick

Movies have been my passion since I was a young teenager. I had realized how much I loved going to the theater and watching something on the big screen, and I wanted to feel that sensation as often as possible. I began seeing as many movies as my schedule and wallet could allow, and in wanting to give back to the film community and myself, I wrote film reviews. I first posted them under the audience reviews of Rotten Tomatoes; if I ever go back to those posts now I cringe at the writer I used to be. In 2018, I had the idea to start my own space to post my content and thus Movie Reviews Today was born. I am a film and media studies student at Arizona St. University. I am also a three-year shift supervisor with Starbucks. My hope is to soak up as many movies and movie knowledge as I can moving forward and to share my passion with my readers. View all posts by Teddy Frederick