Long Shot (2019)

US Secretary of State Charlotte Field (Charlize Theron) is hoping to become the first female President. Working under current President Chambers (Bob Odenkirk), who was elected because he had previously played the President in a low-rating television show yet had no political experience whatsoever (ring a bell to anyone?), she is hoping he will endorse her for the campaign, as he will not be standing for re-election, hoping to focus on his entry into films.

Needing some assistance in the polls, she controversially hires old school acquaintance Fred Flarsky (Seth Rogen) after running into him randomly at a party. He has just been made redundant from the newspaper he wrote for, when the newspaper was bought out by media mogul Parker Wembley (Andy Serkis).

He accepts the position, and becomes her chief speechwriter, as she travels around the world, raising awareness and support for her environmental plan that she hopes will see the polls improve in her favour before formally announcing her candidacy and run for President.

I won't say anything more about the plot here, but there are a few other things I would like to discuss.

The script, by Dan Sterling and Liz Hannah, doesn't have a lot of surprises, especially for those who have seen any film with Seth Rogen in it before. The film falls into the category of romantic comedy, so you know the kind of things that are in store: the many obstacles that stand in the way of our leads getting together, despite the fact that they are both interested in one another, the big reveal of some factor at about the three-quarter mark that makes it seem like everything is pointless and nothing can save the relationship, et cetera.

Add to this the fact that most of the comedy is of the incredibly crude variety (one would expect no less from Seth Rogen and fellow production partner Evan Goldberg), and you probably already have a pretty good idea of the rest of the film in its entirety.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that the script isn't particularly clever. The characters are reasonably well defined and reasonably well written, but the film is incredibly formulaic, even for a romantic comedy.

Yves Bélanger's cinematography is also not especially adventurous, again as one would expect from a film in this genre. Sure, everything works well enough, but there is nothing particularly spectacular about any of the camera shots here.

The score, by Marco Beltrami and Miles Hankins, is - you guessed it - nothing special. It does the job, I suppose, but to be honest, the film felt a little over-scored in parts, and particularly under-scored in others.

I must say, however, the production design - courtesy of Kalina Ivanov - is quite good. There are many different locations and sets used throughout the film, and these are all very well designed, constructed, and dressed.

The cast's performances are relatively average throughout, with the possible exception of Andy Serkis, who was almost unrecognisable in his performance. Apart from that, the rest of the cast feel as though they are just showing up, saying the lines, and going home.

Director Jonathan Levine has made a relatively unexciting film, that doesn't really push any boundaries (other than comedy that may or may not always be in good taste).

Sure, I enjoyed myself for a couple of hours in the cinema watching this. I laughed a lot, from beginning to end, and the film works well as a means of escapism, and will keep you relatively entertained. But I don't think I would watch it again in a hurry.

5 out of 10.