When Brooklyn Advocate journalist Fred Flarsky (Seth Rogan; Knocked Up) finds out his company has been bought out by a media conglomerate, he quits in a fit of rage. The liberal Flarsky finds the new owner of the company, Parker Wembley (Andy Serkis; The Planet of the Apes Series) to be immoral. His best friend, Lance (O'Shea Jackson Jr.; Straight Outta Compton) decides to cheer his friend up by bringing him to a wildlife fund benefit party. This party also happens to be attended by Secretary of State, Charlotte Field (Charlize Theron; Mad Max: Fury Road).
After thinking that she recognizes Flarsky, Field asks to meet him. They soon find out that they used to be neighbors and that she used to babysit him. She decides to help her old friend out and give him a job as her speechwriter for her run as President. As the two work together, they grow close. Unfortunately, Wembly decides to use this against Field and threatens her with publicly humiliating Flarsky unless she goes along with a plan he has a vested interest in. She decides to go along with it, which causes problems with her relationship with Fred.
In this film, Theron gets to showcase her comedic sensibilities, something we don't get to see often enough. She has great chemistry with Rogen and you really root for these two. They are supported by fellow castmembers June Diane Raphael (The Disaster Artist) and Ravi Patel (Transformers), who play Field's assistants, and Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul), who has a great cameo as President Chambers.
The 1080p video quality is rather strong on this Blu-ray. The details are sharp and the and the colors, for the most part, are clean. There is one scene on a beach at night that seems a little off but it isn't terribly distracting. The Dolby Atmos audio is average throughout but that seems to showcase the eclectic soundtrack nicely. The Boyz 2 Men scene offers a decent amount of ambient nice that mixes well with their classic songs.
Extras in this release include:
- All's Fair in Love and Politics: Making Long Shot: This extra features interviews with several cast and crew members about the film.
- Seven Minutes in Heaven: Seth and Charlize Uncensored: An interview with the film's main duo.
- Secret Weapons: This feature focuses on the supporting cast.
- Epic Flarsky Falls: A focused look on the window jumping sequence.
- Prime Minister Steward O-Rama: A look at the character of the Prime Minister character and the man who plays him, Alexander Skarsgård.
- Hanging With Boyz II Men
- Just Kinda Crushing It!: Fun footage from behind the scenes.
- The First Mister: A Portrait: An in-depth look at the official portrait of Fred featured in the film.
- An Imperfect Union: A look at the romance between the two main characters.
- Love and Politics: This segment discusses the need for emotion in comedies.
- Friends Like These: Another look at the supporting cast.
Grade: A
