Director: Jonathan Levine
Distributor: Belga Home Video
Duration: 125 minutes
Long Shot (DVD) – Review
When the seasons shift by, and the weather gets colder again, it’s often the perfect season to bunker down in blankets, have something to warm you up and pick a selection of romantic comedies to make you feel good during the winter period. This brought us to the recent DVD release of Long Shot, a rom-com with Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron in the lead, clearly indicating that both parties would eventually fall in love with each other. We felt like this movie would be a long shot at impressing us.
The movie initially gets us acquainted with Fred Flarsky (Seth Rogen), who is a journalist for one of the last independent newspapers still around. When he hears that the newspaper has been bought by a big outlet, he quits his job looking for something else. Being down in the dumps, he calls on his best friend Lance (O’Shea Jackson Jr.) to make him forget all his worldly troubles. This eventually leads to going to a fundraiser together, where he bumps into the Secretary of State, Charlotte (Charlize Theron), who he used to know when he was still a teenager. While Fred is not the type to work for such a high official, Charlotte invites him to become one of her speechwriters. Fred initially has doubts about doing such a thing, as he believes politicians are liars, but she promises him she is different. As time goes by, they get reacquainted and it seems there’s a possibility of something more intimate.
The flow of the movie is quite predictable, as it’s one of those typical romantic comedies where character personas are being built up the first half of the movie. After the proper character introductions, you’ll see the unlikely love between the two leads blossom, only to be presented with a problem somewhere during the last quarter of the movie. Eventually, all of this leads to a proper happy ending when the credits start rolling. While this may sound like we’re spoiling the movie, but be honest, this is the sole reason movies such as this get watched because of their predictable flow. There’s nothing wrong with the movie per se, but the overall buildup has been done many times before, making this a stereotypical experience.
If we have to be completely honest, the acting performances in this movie are extremely good for a comedy such as this. While Rogen plays his usual stoner persona, Theron does a formidable job playing the Secretary of State, as well as a person that has been denying herself many pleasures to make sure she could keep climbing to the top. The supporting roles have all been filled quite decently as well, but it’s mostly Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron that do the heavy lifting.
For a fairly simple comedy, the DVD version has loads of extra features to explore. You’ll have some making-of content, as well as some in-depth looks at scenes, there are also interviews available, as well as some highlights of who they brought to the set. While many of these featurettes only last a couple of minutes, they are still fun to look at. This certainly makes buying a physical copy a lot more valuable.
Conclusion
Long Shot is a very stereotypical romantic comedy that has very decent cast members. The movie has cost quite a pretty penny, and for the most part it does show, but the story value and the predictable turn of events make this a rather bland experience. If you’re into these kinds of movies, you’ll have a fun evening, if you’re looking for something refreshing and new, you’ll be left wanting more.
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