Long Shot
2/4
Starring: Seth Rogen, Charlize Theron, June Diane Raphael, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Bob Odenkirk, Andy Serkis, Alexander Skarsgard
Rated R for Strong Sexual Content, Language Throughout and Some Drug Use
Romantic comedies allow us to vicariously experience the sensation of falling in love. But it's hard to do that when one of the lead characters is so manifestly unappealing. Seth Rogen is many things (few of them good, in my opinion), but a romantic lead is not one of them. Okay, he did score a hit with "Knocked Up," but that was with a real script and a director who knew how best to use him. And it was long before his "man-child" schtick got old, tired and offensive. Pairing him against Charlize Theron, who is positively enchanting, is an even worse move. With another male lead, "Long Shot" could have worked. With Rogen, it never had a chance.
Fred Flarsky (Rogen) is a journalist with a reputation for humor and a pugnacious writing style. After his newspaper is gobbled up by a mogul named Parker Wembly (Serkis), he resigns in protest. Out of a job and down on his luck, his best bro Lance (Jackson Jr) takes him to a swanky party. There he sees his old crush, Charlotte Field (Theron). Charlotte is the current Secretary of State, and is using a global environmentalist initiative to launch a bid for the presidency. She remembers him, and offers him the job as her speech writer. Predictably, sparks fly between Fred and Charlotte.
It is here that I should admit that I do not like Seth Rogen. His career started with promise: the arrested development lifestyle and fear of maturity were a refreshing point of view and easy to relate to. But Rogen is a one-trick pony, and it quickly got old. Then his fame went to his head, and his movies became mouthpieces for pathetic stand-up routines. Insightful comedy gave way to his ego, and he filled the running time with endless riffs on the same subject. Usually his apparent fears, which based on the evidence are women, gay men and growing up. There's nothing wrong with generating laughs out of subjects that make us uncomfortable (in fact, it's a great way to alleviate them), but Rogen lacks insight and respect. His riffs end up feeling like a middle school bully pointing and laughing at anyone who is different than he is.
To be fair, Rogen is kept under control, by Jonathan Levine, who is apparently the only person in Hollywood able to tell Rogen to shut his trap (he and Evan Goldberg have no such compunctions and Nicholas Stoller apparently thinks that Rogen is so funny that he collapses in to helpless laughter whenever Rogen appears on screen). So while Rogen's misogyny and homophobia are kept at a minimum, it still leaves a big problem: Rogen is not a likable presence. The appeal of Seth Rogen has never been likability or warmth. He is a stand-in for ourselves, rebelling against our fears of boredom and insignificance. That's fine. But that doesn't lend well to the role of a romantic lead, and Rogen doesn't have the acting chops to pull it off. He may be called Fred Flarsky, but the man is still Seth Rogen, and he can't convince us otherwise.
At least the filmmakers had the good sense (or bad) to pair him with someone who can handle the demands of this lightweight fluff. Charlize Theron has no qualms with difficult or unglamorous roles (she did, after all, play Aileen Wuornos in "Monster"), but here she gets to chill and have fun. There's no harm in that, and Theron doesn't walk through the movie. She puts a lot of effort into her performance, and as a result Charlotte is strong, likable with a touch of endearing vulnerability. Theron makes us believe that she is in love with Fred (despite the fact that it's never credible). Rogen can't make us believe that she would want anything to do with this loser. That disconnect sinks the movie.
At least there are other small pleasures in this movie. The film's plot and dialogue are forgettable, but there are a few moments that do work, like when Charlotte lets her hair down and becomes a party animal. And some of the bit parts are amusing. Bob Odenkirk plays a less demented but targeted version of Donald Trump, which leads to some pointed, if broad, satire. And Andy Serkis, one of the most versatile character actors working these days, is unrecognizable as a clone of Robert Mercer. Serkis is terrific, but will anyone recognize the target of the satire (Mercer is notoriously private, preferring to operate behind the scenes as a manipulative Svengali).
"Long Shot" was never going to be a great romantic comedy. The screenplay is too weak for it to be anything more than a diversion. But it can't even reach that level because Rogen can't handle anything outside of his pre-"Me Too" frat boy persona. So what could have been 2 hours of forgettable cotton candy turns out to be tasteless tofu. Watch another rom-com instead.
Starring: Seth Rogen, Charlize Theron, June Diane Raphael, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Bob Odenkirk, Andy Serkis, Alexander Skarsgard
Rated R for Strong Sexual Content, Language Throughout and Some Drug Use
Romantic comedies allow us to vicariously experience the sensation of falling in love. But it's hard to do that when one of the lead characters is so manifestly unappealing. Seth Rogen is many things (few of them good, in my opinion), but a romantic lead is not one of them. Okay, he did score a hit with "Knocked Up," but that was with a real script and a director who knew how best to use him. And it was long before his "man-child" schtick got old, tired and offensive. Pairing him against Charlize Theron, who is positively enchanting, is an even worse move. With another male lead, "Long Shot" could have worked. With Rogen, it never had a chance.
Fred Flarsky (Rogen) is a journalist with a reputation for humor and a pugnacious writing style. After his newspaper is gobbled up by a mogul named Parker Wembly (Serkis), he resigns in protest. Out of a job and down on his luck, his best bro Lance (Jackson Jr) takes him to a swanky party. There he sees his old crush, Charlotte Field (Theron). Charlotte is the current Secretary of State, and is using a global environmentalist initiative to launch a bid for the presidency. She remembers him, and offers him the job as her speech writer. Predictably, sparks fly between Fred and Charlotte.
It is here that I should admit that I do not like Seth Rogen. His career started with promise: the arrested development lifestyle and fear of maturity were a refreshing point of view and easy to relate to. But Rogen is a one-trick pony, and it quickly got old. Then his fame went to his head, and his movies became mouthpieces for pathetic stand-up routines. Insightful comedy gave way to his ego, and he filled the running time with endless riffs on the same subject. Usually his apparent fears, which based on the evidence are women, gay men and growing up. There's nothing wrong with generating laughs out of subjects that make us uncomfortable (in fact, it's a great way to alleviate them), but Rogen lacks insight and respect. His riffs end up feeling like a middle school bully pointing and laughing at anyone who is different than he is.
To be fair, Rogen is kept under control, by Jonathan Levine, who is apparently the only person in Hollywood able to tell Rogen to shut his trap (he and Evan Goldberg have no such compunctions and Nicholas Stoller apparently thinks that Rogen is so funny that he collapses in to helpless laughter whenever Rogen appears on screen). So while Rogen's misogyny and homophobia are kept at a minimum, it still leaves a big problem: Rogen is not a likable presence. The appeal of Seth Rogen has never been likability or warmth. He is a stand-in for ourselves, rebelling against our fears of boredom and insignificance. That's fine. But that doesn't lend well to the role of a romantic lead, and Rogen doesn't have the acting chops to pull it off. He may be called Fred Flarsky, but the man is still Seth Rogen, and he can't convince us otherwise.
At least the filmmakers had the good sense (or bad) to pair him with someone who can handle the demands of this lightweight fluff. Charlize Theron has no qualms with difficult or unglamorous roles (she did, after all, play Aileen Wuornos in "Monster"), but here she gets to chill and have fun. There's no harm in that, and Theron doesn't walk through the movie. She puts a lot of effort into her performance, and as a result Charlotte is strong, likable with a touch of endearing vulnerability. Theron makes us believe that she is in love with Fred (despite the fact that it's never credible). Rogen can't make us believe that she would want anything to do with this loser. That disconnect sinks the movie.
At least there are other small pleasures in this movie. The film's plot and dialogue are forgettable, but there are a few moments that do work, like when Charlotte lets her hair down and becomes a party animal. And some of the bit parts are amusing. Bob Odenkirk plays a less demented but targeted version of Donald Trump, which leads to some pointed, if broad, satire. And Andy Serkis, one of the most versatile character actors working these days, is unrecognizable as a clone of Robert Mercer. Serkis is terrific, but will anyone recognize the target of the satire (Mercer is notoriously private, preferring to operate behind the scenes as a manipulative Svengali).
"Long Shot" was never going to be a great romantic comedy. The screenplay is too weak for it to be anything more than a diversion. But it can't even reach that level because Rogen can't handle anything outside of his pre-"Me Too" frat boy persona. So what could have been 2 hours of forgettable cotton candy turns out to be tasteless tofu. Watch another rom-com instead.
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