Directed by Jonathan Levine. Starring Seth Rogen, Charlize Theron, June Diane Raphael, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Andy Serkis, Bob Odenkirk, Ravi Patel, Alexander Skarsgård, Randall Park, Tristan D. Lalla. (R)
Left-wing journalist (Rogen), fresh out of a job, chances into a meeting with his former babysitter, the current Secretary of State (Theron), who asks him to join her team as a speech writer...and because it's a movie, they will, of course, eventually fall for each other. After a shaky start--how many other rom-coms open with someone unleashing a hate speech tirade?--the movie settles into familiar territory for Rogen's likable stoner schlub shtick and the feel-good fantasy land of Hollywood romance and politics. Though the plotting can be frustratingly predictable and far-fetched (both leads probably wouldn't even be employable by the end of the movie in the real world), the dialogue, jokes and interplay are above average, with Rogen and Theron making for a winning pair and solid supporting work coming from Jackson (Rogen's best bud), Odenkirk (the president) and Serkis (unrecognizable as a Rupert Murdoch/Roger Ailes type, though he looks more like Steve Bannon). Plays it pretty safe on the political side to avoid excessive feather-ruffling (Theron's major platform/initiative is based on environmental preservation); the expected jabs at the Fox News stand-in are hyperbolic but still on-target.
68/100
Left-wing journalist (Rogen), fresh out of a job, chances into a meeting with his former babysitter, the current Secretary of State (Theron), who asks him to join her team as a speech writer...and because it's a movie, they will, of course, eventually fall for each other. After a shaky start--how many other rom-coms open with someone unleashing a hate speech tirade?--the movie settles into familiar territory for Rogen's likable stoner schlub shtick and the feel-good fantasy land of Hollywood romance and politics. Though the plotting can be frustratingly predictable and far-fetched (both leads probably wouldn't even be employable by the end of the movie in the real world), the dialogue, jokes and interplay are above average, with Rogen and Theron making for a winning pair and solid supporting work coming from Jackson (Rogen's best bud), Odenkirk (the president) and Serkis (unrecognizable as a Rupert Murdoch/Roger Ailes type, though he looks more like Steve Bannon). Plays it pretty safe on the political side to avoid excessive feather-ruffling (Theron's major platform/initiative is based on environmental preservation); the expected jabs at the Fox News stand-in are hyperbolic but still on-target.
68/100