By: Lana K. Wilson-Combs
Watching Charlize Theron in full-throttle comedic mode in the racy and raucous romantic comedy,
?Long Shot? is about as surprising as her romantically hooking up with Seth Rogen who plays a sloppy dressing newspaper reporter.
Talk about opposites attract. Talk about a longshot.
But these two have a bit of history together. More on that shortly.
In ?Long Shot? Cheron stars as Charlotte Field, the Secretary of State of the United States. She?s bright, loyal and quite the go-getter. So, when President Chambers (a terrific Bob Odenkirk, upcoming ?Little Women?) informs Charlotte that he?s more interested in pursuing an acting career than being president and that he?s endorsing her to succeed him, Charlotte is all in.
When Charlotte was in high school, she was a big hit at student council meetings. She always dreamed of being a politician who could make a real difference in the world. Now, she gets her chance.
Charlotte used to babysit a guy named Fred Flarsky (Rogen). Although Fred was a bit of a dork, the kid was smart and had a huge crush on her. He?d also offer to listen to her speeches and give her pointers.
Well, Fred?s excitement for Charlotte got the best of him that night. Ever since then it?s been hard for him to forget Charlotte and that embarrassing evening.
Fast forward a few years. Fred is now a writer for a left-wing Brooklyn newspaper. His award-winning features have kept the paper relevant, but Fred is devastated when his boss (Randall Park, TV?s ?Fresh Off the Boat?) tells him that the newspaper has been sold to super conservative billionaire Parker Wembley (Andy Serkis, ?Black Panther?).
Fred refuses to scale back on his hard-hitting political stories and winds up quitting. Now he spends much of his time complaining about his plight to his best friend Lance (O?Shea Jackson Jr., upcoming ?Den of Thieves 2? and ?Godzilla: King of Monsters?).
Since Fred needs cheering up, Lance suggests they attend an upscale party that among other celebs will feature the group ?Boyz II Men.? And really who doesn?t feel better after hearing ?Motownphilly??
Well, the party is fun and gets even better for Fred when he notices Charlotte staring at him. She knows this guy from somewhere. After an awkward introduction, they?re soon chatting each other up and laughing at that mortifying night.
Fred needs a job and Charlotte could use a speechwriter. And according to Charlotte?s image consultant Katherine (a funny Lisa Kudrow, TV?s ?Grace and Frankie? ) and her handlers Maggie (June Diane Raphael, TV?s ?Grace & Frankie?) and Tom (a somewhat funny Ravi Patel, TV?s ?American Housewife?), a personality makeover wouldn?t be a bad idea either.
It seems Charlotte just doesn?t convey that sort of warmth and fuzziness that voters are attracted to.
Fred accepts Charlotte?s offer to work for her much to the dismay of Maggie and Tom. They wish he?d just go away or at least go and get some grown up clothes. They?d rather see Charlotte hang with someone like the handsome, debonair Canadian Prime Minister James Steward (Alexander Skarsgard, ?The Kill Team?). But they obviously haven?t heard this guy laugh.
Yet the more Fred and Charlotte work together, the more sparks start to fly. But things get a bit out of ?hand? one night when Fred starts thinking about Charlotte and his actions nearly mess things up for good.
?Long Shot,? from director Jonathan Levine (?Snatched?) and screenwriters Liz Hannah (?The Post?) and Dan Sterling (?Girls?) doesn?t hold much back. It?s a profanity laced, politically infused raunchfest.
Most of the jokes?not all?fly fast and furiously. Even so, ?Long Shot? still manages to deliver on the fun.
Editor's Note: Don't forget to catch my N2Entertainment.net movie talk segment on the Kitty O'Neal Show Fridays at 6:20 p.m. on radio station KFBK 1530 AM and 93.1 FM.
Watch This Trailer For
"LONG SHOT"
Lana K. Wilson-Combs is a member of the Broadcast Film Critics? Association (BFCA), The Black Film Critics Circle (BFCC), The Alliance Of Women Film Journalists (AWFJ) and a Nominating Committee Voting Member for the NAACP Image Awards.
