'Long Shot' review: Charlize Theron, Seth Rogen film is entertaining but unbelievable
NEW YORK (WABC) -- A satire allows a filmmaker to play fast and loose with the facts to make us laugh, but even by those standards, "Long Shot" is a bridge too far for me to cross.
That said, I had fun at this entertaining new movie featuring one of my favorite stars -- and Charlize Theron has never been more attractive in mind, body and soul.
She stars as the Secretary of State who is running for president, and rarely has a long shot been so farfetched and so outside the bounds of what's possible in politics -- even by the standards of these unusual times.
Seth Rogen plays Fred Flarsky, the nerdy guy she used to babysit when they lived next door to each other growing up.
Oshea Jackson, Jr. -- Ice Cube's son -- has a supporting role as his pal, but it is a part that's too small given his big charm.
They all meet at a party, where Boyz II Men is entertaining, and Flarsky ends up embarrassing himself by falling down a long flight of stairs in front of everyone.
In the first of many impossible plot points, the Secretary hires Fred to punch-up her speeches.
Her aide calls that "reckless," but she insists, "Fred's writing is really good, and he knows me."
Soon, these two are quite literally thrown together in a war zone. They almost die and end up in each other's arms.
There's a sweet chemistry between them that makes their improbable romance seem sort of possible, but by the time they take hard drugs together, I was no longer willing to suspend my disbelief.
I really wrestled with whether or not to recommend "Long Shot," but the majority of the other critics give it thumbs up and I had such a good time it almost made me forget that most of what happens here could never occur in real life.
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