#MovieMonday: Long Shot Review: It’s Like the Funny Version of House of Cards

By
George Yang
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It’s Monday, and that means one thing:

It’s still a loooooooooooong way to Friday.

And that sucks. Especially when we’ve run out of movies to review; after all, everyone’s talking about a certain superhero movie that’s so hyped, getting a ticket is still a pain in the butt.

But that means getting a ticket to other movies is going to be easy, except for one problem: there doesn’t seem to be any new good movie recently.

The only one we can think of is the live-action Pokemon movie, but that’s only going to be released later this week.

So does that mean we’re going to skip #MovieMonday and continue with our Monday Blues?

Of course not. Because there’s one that might interest you.

Introducing…Long Shot.

What’s that, you wonder.

Here’s the official synopsis:

Fred Flarsky is a gifted and free-spirited journalist who has a knack for getting into trouble. Charlotte Field is one of the most influential women in the world — a smart, sophisticated and accomplished politician. When Fred unexpectedly runs into Charlotte, he soon realizes that she was his former baby sitter and childhood crush. When Charlotte decides to make a run for the presidency, she impulsively hires Fred as her speechwriter — much to the dismay of her trusted advisers.

Yeah, it’s a comedy to sooth the crying souls after Endgame, but is it funny?

Is it watchable?

Let the review begin.

Starring… Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron

Okay, I’ve got to admit: when I watched it, I’ve no idea who these two fellows are. In fact, Rogen looks like a YouTuber who rants on the small screen while Theron looks like an up-and-coming young actress, which I soon realised that she’s actually 43 this year.

But their performances show that they’re no greenhorn in the industry: Rogen, who played a writer, doesn’t feel exaggerated even though he’s supposed to be. Theron’s role is so convincing as a strict poker-faced politician with a crazy personal life that you’d wonder if your boss actually secretly dances in his room when your company gets a new client.

Political Jokes Or Slapstick Jokes?

If you’re not familiar with the US political system, this movie might be a tad chim for you—I mean, if you watch the trailer, you might not even catch the joke on the “which state again?”

(Fun fact that’ll make the trailer a little funnier: in the US, the Secretary of State is a position akin to the Foreign Affairs Minister in Singapore)

Thankfully, most of the other jokes don’t require you to have read the US Constitution, though it’ll be good to know.

While politics is the setting of the movie, the plot’s not serious because the key theme isn’t about running the country, but about true love.

Yes, as corny as this may sound, it’s a romantic comedy that shows how much you’re willing to go for that perfect love story.

I’m not sure if it’s just me, but most of the jokes, even when they’re executed perfectly by Rogen, just feel a little over-the-top. In fact, I’d even go on to say that Endgame makes me laugh more (now I’m pretty sure it’s just me).

The plot does mirror a little subplot in House of Cards (minus all the evilness, backstabbing and weird obsession, of course), so if you need one sentence to summarise it, here goes nothing: It’s like a funny version of House of Cards.

Is it worth a watch? If you’re one who’s excited over Netflix’s announcement of Designated Survivor Season 3, and like a good laugh, then this is for you.

If you’re not into US political thrillers but like a good love story, then this is for you, too.

But if you’re none of the above, then here’s the rating:

Rating: 2/5

Go watch Endgame instead.

Watch this for a complete summary of what REALLY happened to Qoo10, and why it's like a K-drama:

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George Yang
Email: [email protected]