Long Shot

This review may contain spoilers!

Watching a romantic comedy immediately after Avengers: Endgame was not something I expected to enjoy, but this was a genuinely nice surprise. I would give Long Shot a 7.5/10.

Long Shot is a romantic comedy about the unlikely romance that blooms between presidential candidate, Charlotte Field, and journalist, Fred Flarsky. This film has nothing but heart to share, you get a couple of people who manage to find a very natural and charismatic way of portraying a budding relationship with one another. I don't always invest easily in a onscreen relationship but this film has one of the best onscreen couples I've watched so far this year. The way humour is generated often comes quite naturally from the character or situation and it is rare we get a scene that scrapes the bottom of the barrel. Watching this pair have genuine dates, moments of connection, trials and conflicts just makes this the genuine package. I also really appreciated just how much this feature took aspects of traditional romantic comedies and flipped them on their head significantly; Charlotte being a more dominant protagonist than Fred was excellent and led to some creative scenes and shots. The editing for the film kept this tracking at a really great pace and provided clear structure; there was even scenes where you saw just how creative they could get in post-production such as the 'night out' scene in Paris. The score for the film often riffs hilariously on some of the older more traditional score for romantic comedies, very orchestral and moving; the soundtrack is nothing short of a perfect blend between modern ballads and tracks that provide a bit of comedy.

Charlize Theron, who played Charlotte Field, is an incredible leading performer that is a great pick for the elegant, successful politician; yet Theron knows how to ground this role too and bring forth the elements of her that are more comedic and playful. Seth Rogen, who played Fred Flarsky, gives a surprisingly strong dramatic performance that complements Theron's perfectly; Rogen is a firecracker of intensity throughout and you are enthralled by this self-righteous journalist role. Bob Odenkirk, who played President Chambers, gives one of the most well thought out parodies of a Trump president yet; Odenkirk really lends some gravitas to this self-important celebrity president who is more enthralled with his acting career than his presidential duties. Randall Park, who played the Boss, has a really entertaining scene of the film that stands out strongly in the first act; Park's dithering excuses for succumbing to a media conglomerate really play off well against Rogen's explosive reactions. 

However, the best performance came from O'Shea Jackson Jr., who played Lance. This was the character who constantly stole the show in any scene he was in and had me in stitches throughout. Ice Cube had strongly established himself as being capable of portraying an incredibly comedic role in the Jump Street films; but his son has really shown the capability to outshine him in Long Shot. Jackson Jr. is full of energy from the go and really bounces off Rogen incredibly well, the pair have a dynamic that is strong and makes you believe they are best friends. As a character Lance has some of the best dialogue in the film and I particularly loved how he pointed out defining people by their beliefs can lead to difference but friendships and bonds are built upon something that goes far deeper than that. This was a very well-rounded, entertaining role and I can wait to see more of Jackson Jr. in the future.

The film has some brilliant moments of comedy throughout but it still suffers from some common missteps in American comedies, chiefly a lot of sexual humour that pushes the boundaries and disrupts the tone. Probably the worst aspect of the film is that there is a whole plotline around one of the main characters masturbating that was just plain unpleasant and got a lot more screen time than was really necessary. The political landscape within this film didn't feel very well established either, there was some obvious parody of the Trump administration but outside of that it wasn't always very believable when the film took some time to focus on the political narrative. The cinematography for Long Shot had some clever moments but was ultimately a rather safe production, physical comedy was often very carefully framed and dialogue scenes kept to the basics.

June Diane Raphael and Ravi Patel, who played Maggie Millikin and Tom respectively, are quite flat performances that just fill out scenes where more dialogue is needed; Raphael in particular is disappointing in a role that doesn't know if it wants to be a best friend character or an antagonist. Andy Serkis, who played Parker Wembley, is absolutely unrecognisable under a mountain of prosthetics; Serkis doesn't really rise to the occasion here, choosing instead to give a very generic corporate tycoon villain. Alexander Skarsgard, who played Prime Minister James Steward, is quite an awkward and uncomfortable role that seems the most out of place in the cast line up; Skarsgard isn't particularly funny and his role just winds up being a rather creepy character that doesn't really have much purpose being in the film.