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    Movie Review

    Charlize Theron-Seth Rogen rom-com Long Shot drops the ball on politics

    Alex Bentley
    May 2, 2019 | 12:06 pm
    Charlize Theron-Seth Rogen rom-com Long Shot drops the ball on politics
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    In movies, politics and romance rarely mix. That’s not because the two never intertwine, but rather because paying real attention to one side tends to give short shrift to the other. The one rare film that successfully combined the two was The American President, which seems to be somewhat of an inspiration for the new film Long Shot.

    Fred Flarsky (Seth Rogen) is a left-leaning journalist who revels in taking to task anyone with whom he disagrees. Charlotte Field (Charlize Theron) is the current secretary of state, serving under President Chambers (Bob Odenkirk), a former TV actor who managed to trip his way into the presidency. Fred and Charlotte are far apart professionally, but their personal link — she babysat for him when they were younger — leads to a renewed connection at a society gathering.

    Charmed by him and impressed with his writing ability, Charlotte decides to take him on as a speechwriter in advance of her intended campaign for president, for which she hopes to gain the endorsement of Chambers. As the two travel the world touting Charlotte’s signature environmental initiative, unexpected sparks fly, complicating a relationship amid an already complex environment.

    How successful the movie will be for each filmgoer depends on how much slack they’re willing to give the wholly unbelievable story. Pairing a schlubby guy with an attractive woman is a longtime tradition in both movies and TV, and director Jonathan Levine and writers Liz Hannah and Dan Sterling lean heavily into the concept. Jokes are made at Fred’s expense throughout the film, including his horrid sense of style and tendency toward clumsiness.

    In spite of the off-kilter nature of the relationship, the film spends enough time with the two of them together to make their bond intriguing and romantic. Unfortunately, the filmmakers also decide to make a mockery out of almost every political moment in the film, which takes up a significant portion of the running time. Chambers, an obvious stand-in for Donald Trump, is treated as a clown throughout, but nothing Charlotte does as a politician is given any meaningful thought, either. Everything, including her environmental initiative, is explored on a surface level, to the point that it’s difficult to know who she is or what she stands for.

    The unintended consequence of not taking the political side seriously is that Charlotte, despite a great performance from Theron, does not come across as a qualified candidate for president. President Chambers is a buffoon through and through, but what does it say about Field that she was willing to be the secretary of state for such an unqualified person? And how do her liberal leanings mesh with a president who is so obviously at odds with her agenda?

    Add in the odd and unnecessary character of Fox News Wembley News founder Parker Wembley (Andy Serkis), and the film just doesn’t seem to know what it wants from its politics. It might have been more successful if Charlotte had been a high-powered business leader or something along those lines. Making her a candidate for president and then not giving her the gravitas of someone in that position undermines Charlotte as a character and the film as a whole.

    Still, Theron and Rogen make for an oddly appealing couple, and their chemistry keeps the movie watchable. Supporting roles from June Diane Raphael and Ravi Patel as Charlotte’s assistants, and O’Shea Jackson, Jr. as Fred’s best friend, maintain the film’s comedy level, which remains on point despite the film’s failings. On the other hand, Alexander Skarsgård is wholly out of place as Canadian Prime Minister James Steward, who serves as romantic rival for Fred.

    The filmmakers of Long Shot know their way around comedy and romance, but they bit off more than they could chew politics-wise. The audience should at least be given the courtesy of some political intelligence in a film that pays as much attention to that side as it does.

    Charlize Theron and Seth Rogen in Long Shot.

    Charlize Theron and Seth Rogen in Long Shot
      
    Photo by Hector Alvarez
    Charlize Theron and Seth Rogen in Long Shot.
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    Book News

    Barnes & Noble to open 2 new Dallas-area stores but will close Plano

    Teresa Gubbins
    Jun 12, 2025 | 6:56 pm
    Barnes & Noble
    Barnes & Noble
    Barnes & Noble, new look.

    There's good news and bad on the bookstore front: Two new locations of bookstore chain Barnes & Noble are opening in the Dallas area, one soon and one very soon, but a third is closing this week.

    Closing
    The store in Plano at 801 W. 15th St. is closing on Sunday, June 15. According to a company representative, the Plano store is an older, larger store model that the chain is turning away from, in favor of a new smaller model it's embracing for all new stores.

    It also has three other locations within close proximity: West Plano, Allen, and Richardson.

    Other DFW stores that still have that similar larger/older floorplan include Preston & Park in Plano; Prestonwood Center in North Dallas, and Lincoln Park in Dallas across from Northpark Center.

    Opening
    There are two new stores opening in summer/fall:

    • Rockwall, at 1009 E I-30, will open in late summer.
    • Prosper, at 1191 Gates Pkwy., in the newly developed Gates of Prosper, will open in the fall.

    According to a spokesperson, the new Rockwall store will follow the chain's new design seen in their most recent store openings, featuring "all the best books, toys, games, vinyl, and gifts our customers have come to expect." It will also house a B&N Café.

    The store is approximately 20,000 square feet and will be located in the space formerly occupied by Staples, which closed in January 2025.

    The store in Prosper will be nearly 20,000 square feet and is anticipated to feature the same model and selection as the Rockwall store, including a B&N Café.

    In August 2019, Barnes & Noble was acquired by Elliott Advisors (UK) and taken private. Elliott’s acquisition of Barnes & Noble followed its June 2018 acquisition of Waterstones, the largest bookseller in the U.K.

    Barnes & Noble is experiencing a period of growth, the result of a strategy to hand over control of each bookstore to its manager. They're enjoying strong sales and have opened many new stores after 15-plus years of declining store numbers. In 2022, they opened more new bookstores in a single year than in the entire decade from 2009 to 2019.

    They've continued to open more locations, including three in the DFW area in 2024: a store in Allen as well as stores in Flower Mound and Richardson — part of a wave of store openings that show the chain in the midst of a major comeback.

    Barnes & Noble, Inc. is the largest retail bookseller in the United States. The company has more than 630 bookstores across the U.S., as well as its online bookstore at bn.com, the Nook Digital business which offers both e-books and an audio book subscriptions service, the SparkNotes educational service, stationery and gift retailer Paper Source, and the publisher Union Square & Co.

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