Long Shot

“I've never been so scared in my entire life. And I was in an elevator with Saddam Hussein.”

Filmology Rating: 2.75 out of 4

This is a romantic comedy where Charlize Theron is running for President and she hires Seth Rogen to be her speech writer. They begin to have feelings for one another, but Seth Rogen is an idiot, so she cannot let the public know about him. *Insert social commentary/weed joke*

The first half of this film was a drag. I personally do not like Seth Rogen because mildly mentioning weed is not a joke. His acting range also very minimal. Counter that with Charlize Theron who was in "Mad Max" a few years ago and now is doing comedy very well. She's a great actress.

The first half was mainly bogged down in comedy that could be described as awkward and confusing. The most utterly confusing aspect was a group of TV show hosts who felt like they were doing deep Paul Verhoeven-esc satire, but that doesn't blend with weed and Trump jokes because satire is usually thought to be intelligent and jokes Jimmy Fallon could have said are not. There is also a Brett Ratner joke which has no place in a film like this. It was so off-putting.

The film is not some high form of art, but the social commentary was very obvious and overplayed. Like the President is resigning to pursue a career in television. DO YOU GET IT? He is also corrupt and likes social media. DO YOU GET IT? He acts childish and does what's best for his side businesses. DO YOU GET IT? I don't mind the commentary, but it's just too cheap and easy.

However, the second half really did pick up. Some humor began to land. The first time I laughed was when Seth Rogen made a weed joke and a character did a fake laugh. That was funny because she was laughing at how unfunny Seth Rogen was. But the character dilemma that Charlize Theron has is the perfect example of "damned if you do and damned if you don't." It also shows how a Presidential Campaign may operate.

But by the end of the film, I was invested in the romantic aspect. It certainly did better than the comedic side. The minimum laugh rule is usually six and it got four out of me. Pinching the runtime more could have definitely tightened the comedy. However, I can definitely see the appeal of this film.

Rating: Rent It

-Nolan