By Jason Pyles

All movie reviews are inevitably burdened (and occasionally blessed) with subjectivity. There is no such thing as a purely “objective” review, nor should there be.

So, I will confess up front that, while I fancy myself as a person who has a good sense of humor, I typically don’t appreciate films that are Comedies. I simply don’t find them very funny. And perhaps part of the issue is that I prefer films that are dark, violent, crime-infested and troubling.

This same weekend, “The Intruder” (2019), was released in theaters, starring Dennis Quaid, Meagan Good and Michael Ealy. That film appears to be a Horror film, or at the very least, a Thriller, but I “boycotted” supporting that film in the theater due to its egregiously, three-act-revealing trailer.

Therefore, I opted to see “Long Shot” Saturday night, a Comedy starring Charlize Theron and Seth Rogen. “Long Shot” was directed by Jonathan Levin, who also directed “Snatched” (the Amy Schumer / Goldie Hawn trainwreck). As ominous as that seems, I still had hope because Jonathan Levin wrote “Warm Bodies” and “The Wackness.” But most of all, I had faith in Charlize Theron and Seth Rogen.

Here’s the premise: Seth Rogen plays an out-of-work journalist who lives and dies by his principles. Charlize Theron plays the Secretary of State (yes, of the U.S.), and she’s aspiring to become the first female president in 2024. Apparently, these two individuals were next door neighbors in their younger days, and as the encounter each other again years later, she hires the jobless writer to help with her speeches. The writer has been infatuated with the politician for years, so this movie’s title refers the unlikely possibility that such a beautiful and powerful politician would fall for an “everyman,” unemployed writer.

Underdog stories are appealing to most people because we’re all intrigued by getting lucky and landing “a long shot.” But this film aims to be a Romantic Comedy first and perhaps a bit of a political satire second. The problem is, it’s not very funny and it’s utterly unbelievable. I won’t reveal spoilers, but humor is found in truth. The developments that occur in this film would never happen.

Sure, Charlize Theron is a stunning woman, and Seth Rogen is an average-looking man, but that’s not what bothers me. Seth Rogen’s character is acerbic, abrasive, crass, vulgar, obnoxious and preachy, for lack of a better word. Not to mention, he fails to be mindful of the discretion necessary for running in the circles of world leaders who work on a public stage. So, I could buy that a gal who looks like Theron could fall for a funny guy who looks like Rogen. (After all, look at Exhibits A and B: Jenny McCarthy and Jim Carrey.) But what I can’t swallow is that the Theron character would risk her career (and worldwide humiliation) on loud-mouthed, bearded adolescent. I don’t believe she would go for this guy’s personality, given her occupation, even if he looked like Zac Efron.

“Long Shot” has a couple of chuckles, sure, and the camera (and most people) love to look upon the lovely Charlize Theron. She’s easy on the eyes, as they say. But otherwise, I don’t feel like this film is worth theater prices. Even a Redbox rental might be pushing it. One day, when it’s streaming on Netflix, and you need to fold a bunch of laundry, then you might have “Long Shot” playing in the background (as long as you don’t have any kids or grandma within earshot).

In summary, here is my Twitter verdict that I posted after watching this movie: https://twitter.com/ConsiderCinema

Long Shot (2019) – The trailer and its stars gave me high hopes, but unfortunately, this film doesn’t work. It’s a Comedy that’s barely ever funny, and the characters and their actions are not credible. There’s no way! Humor springs from truth. This has little of either. 4. -J

Rating and Recommendation: Long Shot (2019)
Jason = 4 ( Low-priority stream on Netflix)

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Feel free to call my new voicemail number at (801) 215-9704 or email me at ConsideringTheCinema@gmail.com or post a comment. Be sure to join me for my upcoming Episode 006, when I bring you a recap of the 2019 movies I’ve seen from January through April! Join me!

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