MOVIE: Long Shot is in with a good chance

SETH Rogen and Charlize Theron together romantically just can’t work. One is stunningly beautiful (Rogen) and the other is overweight, unsightly and scruffy (Theron). Or did we just mix up those descriptions?

This idea is at the heart of the unlikely duo’s new movie, 'Long Shot', which tells the story of outspoken journalist Fred Flarsky who bumps into his old babysitter, Charlotte Field, now a successful politician. With Charlotte making a run for the presidency, she needs a new speechwriter and turns to Fred for help. But one question remains, will their friendship from the past eventually turn into something deeper?

It’s unusual with a comedy to concentrate on the plot, but in this case it’s an interesting one, and the film doesn’t shy away from examining the silliness of its own premise, that two seemingly unmatched people could fall in love.

But then again why couldn’t Vogue Williams end up with Marty Morrissey? Isn’t she beautiful too? Or why wouldn’t a Tubridy/Darcy relationship work (we can’t figure out who the ugly one is either). Aside from this deep philosophical question of attraction, the main thing you need to know about this movie is that it’s hilarious, with more laugh out loud moments than you would expect. For this reason, and the bravery of the story, we award it a review score of 4 delightful stars.   

A very different offering out this week is 'High Life', starring Robert Pattinson as death row inmate Monte, and Juliette Binoche as the doctor in charge of an intergalactic experiment where criminals are sent into orbit. A nice idea that ends up floating around in nothingness, a kind of hypnotic, meditative art installation in space, with lots of bodily fluids being swapped in a not so interesting way.

This is the kind of movie that intellectuals love and larger audiences don’t, the cinematic equivalent of staring at a giant blue square in a museum and being afraid to say it’s crap. Now that we’ve lowered your expectations so much, you might just extract some enjoyment from this movie, but don’t count on it. 2 Stars.

Paul O'Rourke