Long Shot Review: 6 Ups & 2 Downs
Downs...
2. The Excessive 125-Minute Runtime
Long Shot clocks in at 125 minutes, a rather beefy run-time for a comedy and one which the movie doesn't really justify.
Though it's neat that Levine gives his characters time to breathe and for the central romance to convincingly build before our very eyes, there are a number of scenes that either outstay their welcome or could've just been cut entirely.
A mid-film sequence where Charlotte gets high and negotiates the release of a hostage, for example, feels like cutting room floor material that somehow got left in - it's mildly amusing, but doesn't really do anything to move the plot or characters along.
Thankfully Rogen and Theron are compelling enough that the film never feels like a chore, but that doesn't mean the 2+ hour length is really justified at all.