Long Shot Review - Romantic Comedy with Heart

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Long Shot, from Lionsgate and Summit Entertainment, present a playful romantic comedy as two completely opposite adults reconnect against all odds and barely avoid all the landmines those closest to them plant hoping to derail and manipulate.

Directed by Jonathan Levine, Long Shot stars Charlize Theron, Seth Rogen, Bob Odenkirk, Andy Serkis, Randell Park, O'Shea Jackson, Jr., June Diane Raphael, Ravi Patel, Tristian D. Lalla, Alexander Skarsgard, Anton Koval, Aladeen Tawfeek. Long Shot was written by Dan Sterling.

The film opens with Fred Flarsky, played by Seth Rogen, attending a Neo-Nazi meeting. The invited guest of one of the main leaders, he is really an undercover journalist for the Brooklyn Advocate. Things get a bit dicey and he is forced to find a way out. Jumping through the second story window his face against a car break the fall and by a miracle his phone also survives the fall.


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As he returns to the office, his editor, played by Randall Park, tells him the anti-establishment newspaper has been sold to Parker Wembley, played by Andy Serkis, the marriage of two strange bedfellows and so much against the voice and direction of the newspaper that in principal he quits.

Lance, his best friend, played by O'Shea Jackson Jr, an African American tech entrepreneur who is working on membership in the 1% club becomes his should to cry on and as the day continues, we find these two, also opposites, have a deep brotherhood, a bond greater than friendship.

By night's end, Lance, has a high-end luxury event with Boyz to Men as entertainment. Horribly under dressed, Fred and Lance, arrive and just as they are blown away by B2M, Secretary of State Charlotte Field, played by Charlize Theron, appears. The two pause locking eyes before duty calls and she is shaking hands the consummate politician. He finally admits to his friend Charlotte, the Secretary of State, was once his babysitter. They shared a moment which is better left for him to explain.

Just as he explains he is sure she doesn't recognize him, imposing Agent M, played by Tristian D. Lalla, Field's White House security shows up and next thing he is explaining once again they do know each other.

The following day as Charlotte seeks the endorsement of the President, played by Bob Odenkirk, her team Maggie played by June Diane Raphael, and Tom, played by Ravi Patel are working behind the scenes to manage her life, schedule, meetings, relationships, polling numbers. With these two she is confident she is managed.


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Needing a writer to punch up her speeches a bit she hires Fred and suddenly the two are traveling around the world as she presents her Environmental initiative in the hopes of securing 100 nations to get on board.

As Fred and Charlotte spend more time together, and she realizes that he may be the only person in her life that isn't maneuvering their relationship looking for a deal, hoping to leverage her for a photo-op, a talk show, a juicy piece of the celebrity gossip. And that, of course, is comforting and makes him easy to trust.

Long Shot is part politics, part romance, and politics is a nasty profession. Even for those who enter the life for public service, walking through the polluted water of politics leaves a person contaminated. For Madam Secretary with a few brief moments, before Fred, to be herself she gives just a glimpse of genuineness.


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Of course, the path to true long never did run smooth, and that would be a mild statement for our two as they travel the world, barely missing a coup in one nation, hiding out in another.

Long Shot, a practically flawless film, is fun, playful, a romantic dramatic comedy with heart.

However, technically, the film has one major glitch and as it is near the end it becomes a dominating image. Unfortunately, this also removes the "playfulness." Granted it is R-rated from the beginning and the blackmail tape which is taken from an online webcam in Fred's room.

The result which is shown torpedo's the acceptability factor and says to the audience "okay dummies get on board with this." In reality, a winch from her as she is shown the footage along with his voice over moans would have been sufficient for the audience to "get it" without the evidence of the conclusion.


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Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron are made for each other in this fish out of water romantic comedic drama.

Long Shot is playing theaters everywhere. Check local listings.