Long Shot Review: 6 Ups & 2 Downs

5. The Smart, Timely Social Commentary

Thankfully Long Shot has more to offer than merely being a gender-swapped riff on Pretty Woman, and has a lot to say about society at large.

Much of the film rails against casual sexism and how difficult it can be to simply exist as a woman - let alone pursue a career in politics, let alone take aim at the Presidency itself.

There's also plenty of satire related to the fickle nature of voters, while on a wider level it critiques self-consciously self-righteous liberal attitudes - arguing that black-and-white perspectives of "the other side" don't aid discussion - not to mention America's prudish attitude to sexuality.

The film fires at a lot of targets and largely hits them, even though some might argue that some of the social commentary is laid on thicker than it needs to be.

Given how tricky it is to deliver socio-political satire in 2019 that doesn't feel stale or cynical, though, Long Shot's broad-yet-smart approach is largely a triumph.