Liam Scanlan “Long Shot” Review 5/29/2019
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| Image Courtesy of newmovies.video |
Seth Rogen has had quite an impact over
Hollywood. In fact, one of his movies, “The Interview”, angered North Korea so
much that, not only did the studio behind it, Sony Pictures, get hacked, but it
also led to other studios freaking out over this controversy. Luckily, this
review isn’t OF that movie, but rather his most recent comedy, “Long Shot”,
which co-stars Charlize Theron, and unlike “The Interview”, is
actually GOOD!
The film centers around left-wing
ex-journalist Fred Flarsky, played by Rogen, who becomes a secretary for
would-be 2020 presidential candidate Charlotte Field, played by Theron, who was
also Fred’s babysitter. As they travel the world to get 100 countries involved
in a global environmental initiative, the two do all sorts of crazy things
together, including taking mollies, and in the process, they fall in love.
The story, which I have mentioned just now, is very
well-executed, as there are many strange twists and turns, and even scenes in
this film that poke fun at politics both in America and overseas. The film can
even use this style of comedy and political drama in the same breath as seen in
the scene where Fred and Charlotte both witness the outbreak of a civil war in
the Philippines; this scene while being action-packed is also riddled with
humor throughout, not losing its dramatic touch.
Speaking of hilarious moments, the jokes are pretty
funny, too. For example, there are a lot of silly drug jokes, which are Seth
Rogen’s specialty, one of them involving Fred tricking a security guard that he
smokes weed just for anxiety, and another being the aforementioned
molly-consuming scene, both of which let the audience know what kind of frivolous shenanigans
he and Theron get into.
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Theron (left) and Rogen (right) create intriguing chemistry together, as unlikely as that may seem.
Image Courtesy of indiewire.com
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The film’s acting is also hilariously
superb. For
example, both Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron work together as a believable
couple, though they seem like an unlikely pair. Whether it be a scene where
they fuss at each other, or when they act kindly towards one another, their
chemistry works quite well. The son of Ice Cube, who is also in this, believe
it or not, is very irreverent when it comes to comedy, too. He affects Rogen’s
character, thanks to him not only being his friend, but also giving him advice
throughout the film. The film’s antagonist, Charles Wembley, played by Andy
Serkis, plays his part so well, that HIS acting, along with the prosthetics
that he uses, makes him look absolutely UNRECOGNIZABLE!
The characters are pretty great, too. Fred
is so anti-capitalist, that he serves as a clever spoof of left-wing people,
while the film’s right-wing characters, such as the guy played by Ice Cube’s
son, Charles Wembley, and even the film’s in-universe equivalent to Donald
Trump, President Chambers, are so idiotic, that THEY serve as clever spoofs of
right-wing people. Charlotte, on the other side, is very smart, and is depicted
as being caught between those two parties, as if the film is meant to satirize
both sides. If that’s not thought-provoking, then I don’t know what is!
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The characters are caricatures of certain symbols and ideologies, but it works wonderfully in the context of the film.
Image Courtesy of flickeringmyth.com
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Finally, the film’s environmental message
is pretty sweet. In fact, it’s so sweet, it even makes fun of those lobbyists,
represented by Mr. Wembley, who try to rob the Earth of its trees! Okay, that
may seem harsh, but still, it’s pretty pro-environmentalist, if you think about
it!
Overall, I enjoyed this film. If you like
films that are political, but don’t rely too heavily on themes, like racial division, or
anything else of that sort, then this if for you!
This may not come as a surprise to
anyone, but I give this film a 9.5/10!
The End.
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