Stranger things986 Archiveshappened than a schlubby Brooklyn writer hooking up with a glamorous secretary of state. What pushes Long Shotfrom unexpected to downright unbelievable, however, is the context in which this coupling takes place.
The film, directed by Jonathan Levine and written by Liz Hannah and Dan Sterling, seems determined to comment on our current political climate — yet the world it creates feels so far removed from our own, it may as well exist in an alternate dimension.
SEE ALSO: Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron couple up in trailer for 'Long Shot'At least its stars are lovable in any universe. Seth Rogen plays Fred Flarsky, who is most economically described as a Seth Rogen type: shaggy, sweet, and Too Much in a way that comes all the way back around to endearing.
Though he seems on paper like an odd fit for Charlize Theron's elegant Charlotte Field — that is the premise of this movie, after all — their romance feels grounded in sincere affection, mutual admiration, and shared values. There's real poignancy in his efforts to help her live a little, and Theron and Rogen seem like they're having a blast trying to make each other laugh.
If Long Shotwere just about these two opposites attracting, that chemistry, along with the colorful supporting characters (June Diane Raphael is especially side-splitting as a campaign manager who can't be bothered), might be enough to keep the whole thing afloat. Unfortunately, it grafts this simple love story onto a far more ambitious one about gender and politics.
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable Long Shotgets that being women in the public sphere face challenges that men don't, that men still have deeply ambivalent feelings about women in power, that the political game demands so many compromises that it can be easy to lose sight of what it's all for in the first place. The characters talk about all these things all the time.
But the film's insights into these issues never go beyond "read a Vox explainer one time" level. It glosses over how ugly and complicated these realities are, and offers solutions so simplistic that I didn't know whether to laugh or groan. By the time it begins expounding on the importance of seeing both sides, it's become very clear that the Long Shotuniverse split off from our own several years ago.
Maybe five or ten years ago, these observations would have felt surprising. In this day and age, they feel self-congratulatory.
Maybe five or ten years ago, these observations would have felt surprising in a studio rom-com. In this day and age, they feel self-congratulatory. Long Shotis savvy enough to observe that even men who claim to like powerful women rarely do, but too oblivious to notice that by positioning Fred, our audience identification character, as the rare guy who actually does, it's essentially declaring "not all men."
Certainly, there's an argument to be made here that that's part of the fantasy. Here, finally, is a woman who might actually get to have it all, from the the groundbreaking career to the lofty ideals to the supportive boyfriend. And a man who gets to have it all, too — the meaningful job, the beautiful girlfriend, and the blissful imperviousness to society's toxic messaging about men, women, and heterosexual relationships.
It's that last one that gets me. Long Shotseems to think it's presenting a female fantasy and a male one simultaneously, and yet it's the female character who struggles most, who faces the harsher societal injustices, who has to learn the biggest lessons in the end. Meanwhile, the male character stumbles haphazardly into the life of his dreams and endures only the most half-hearted efforts at self-reflection.
And if it seems like I'm being too harsh on what is, in the end, just a fluffy, well-intentioned comedy — well, take it up with Fred Flarsky. He wouldn't compromise on his vision of a better world, and I refuse to, either.
(Editor: {typename type="name"/})
UGREEN Nexode 25000mAh 200W power bank drops to $79.99 at Amazon
Leaked images show off one of the iPhone 8's key components
'Game of Thrones' theory lays out Dany's destiny
Facebook's AR glasses take center stage in newly published patent
Best security deal: The 8
How to cancel your Kindle Unlimited subscription
Just bought a new Kindle? If so, you might have scored a sweet deal to get a month of Kindle Unlimit
...[Details]
Did you catch Daenerys' 'Terminator' moment in 'Game of Thrones'?
Dany didn't speak the Terminatorcatchphrase Sunday night on Episode 6 of Game of Thrones, but did sh
...[Details]
'Game of Thrones': 6 ways to transport White Walkers south of the wall
In the most recent Game of Thronesepisode, our heroes had a Very Dumb Idea: To bring someone from th
...[Details]
'Pivot to video' is not the death of words
The "pivot to video" is not the death of words. It's not the death of journalism or a sign that peop
...[Details]
Best JBL deal: Save $10 on the Go 4 at Amazon
SAVE $10:As of April 3, the JBL Go 4 portable speaker is on sale at Amazon for $39.95. Normally it's
...[Details]
Essential Phone review: Super slick, but not an iPhone or Pixel killer
The "father of Android" is ready for his next act.Andy Rubin, who co-founded Android more than a dec
...[Details]
This woman was asked to comment on the South Sudan refugee crisis. She responded with a poem.
WhenEmi Mahmoudwas asked to comment on recent news — that the one-millionth South Sudanese ref
...[Details]
Dating apps are now banning white supremacists
Dating apps are taking a stand.In the wake of last weekend's events in Charlottesville and the ongoi
...[Details]
Weather app glitch makes it look like hell is basically freezing over
East coasters have already survived four nor'easters at this point, but according to weather app, Da
...[Details]
'Game of Thrones': 6 ways to transport White Walkers south of the wall
In the most recent Game of Thronesepisode, our heroes had a Very Dumb Idea: To bring someone from th
...[Details]
Why Building a Gaming PC Right Now is a Bad Idea, Part 2: Insane Graphics Card Prices
'Planet of the Apps' was a successful disaster
接受PR>=1、BR>=1，流量相当，内容相关类链接。