This was one of those movies I just had a feeling about but decided to give it a chance anyway. It just felt like the studio was trying way too hard to sell it and that’s typically not the best sign. Although it took a while to get going, it eventually found its stride and averted disaster.
The first half was pretty slow and uninspired as the screenplay by Dan Sterling and Liz Hannah went for the low hanging fruit. There’s a point where Seth Rogen’s character, who is supposed to be a good writer, explicitly says people are easily amused by pop culture references and stories of nostalgia. In turn, this script delivers exactly that and often feels like a cheap and uninspired imitation of Veep (the brilliantly written HBO show). The character design wasn’t particularly wowing either, at least for the main two, and that’s where the strength of the film should have been considering the star power invested in those roles.
Rogen plays liberal crusader and journalist Fred Flarsky, whose head is lodged way up his own ass, but this was really no different than any other performance we have seen from him. Goofy, awkward, charming, and funny…you know exactly what you’re getting when his name is attached to a project. For Charlize Theron, on the other hand, this was much more of a departure playing Secretary of State and Presidential hopeful Charlotte Field. She has demonstrated her acting chops throughout her career but she was much more at home with the comedic side fo the character in this setting. I wouldn’t go as far as to say the two of them have remarkable chemistry together but they play off each other well enough so that it works.
Unfortunately, this movie is stuck between wanting to be taken seriously and slapstick comedy. Director Jonathan Levine struggled to maintain tone throughout bouncing from ridiculousness to attempts at social commentary, which can’t be fully realized in this context. It’s really at its best while embracing the inane humor and Bob Odenkirk and Alexander Skarsgård were both great in supporting performances as the President of the United States and the Prime Minister of Canada respectively. Levine got much better performances from his cast in that context, giving the story a backbone.
Long Shot is slightly above average but things could have been worse. I didn’t leave the theater feeling like my time was completely wasted, so that’s a small victory. However, Seth Rogen movies have become something of their own genre and bring all the same things to the table each time. So, its really no shocker the well has run a bit dry…even on a decent offering. The estimated budget of $40-million surely went, in large part, to the cast but the film has struggled to recoup that investment. After about a month, worldwide box office still hasn’t returned a profit (although it eventually will make at least some money) and that’s a good indicator that most people probably felt the same way about this as I did going in.
Recommendation: If you like Seth Rogen and films built around his one-note characters then this is for you. If you are sick of him, or never liked his style in the first place, then definitely pass on this.