REVIEWS: Ted Bundy Netflix Movie, Not Great! Long Shot, Pretty Good!
We reviewed the Ted Bundy Netflix movie and ‘Long Shot.’ Here we go…
Jeff (33/100): Despite a solid portrayal by Zac Efron, the Ted Bundy Netflix movie is a tonal disaster that feels too kind to such a horrifyingly terrible person and his gruesome story. Even though the movie is supposed to be through the viewpoint of Lilly Collins’ Elizabeth Kloepfer, the story feels too driven by relationship problems and fails to draw the properly draw attention to Bundy’s heinous crimes. For much of the movie, everything felt unpleasant and very much off-putting.
‘Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile’, not to the fault of Efron or Collins, feels way too safe for the subject matter being tackled. Did the movie need to layout the visuals of the crimes committed by Bundy? Of course not, but the movie too often skates by what Bundy actually did and instead focuses on who he was outside of the climes themselves. Obviously, there is a way to make that work, but this movie never really found its footing or the right tone. The awkwardness of making Bundy mildly sympathetic threw the movie off the tracks from the get-go. It’s a tough topic and story to tackle, no doubt, but that doesn’t excuse the fact that the movies failed on nearly every level to properly hammer it home on the big screen.
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KenJac (35/100): When I first heard this movie was coming out, I was a little skeptical because I don’t think it’s wise to be glorifying real-life serial killers acts in any way. The country already still has this weird, morbid fascination with them, and anything that propagates that is just gross and also possibly dangerous. Well, no worries on showing anything graphic, because the movie essentially frames Ted Bundy as a sort of manipulative rascal on the run that maybe did a homicide or two.
The acting is really headlined by Lilly Collins performance, which is admittedly great. Coming to the painstakingly slow realization that the person you love isn’t what you think they are is a tough arc to portray, but Collins nailed it entirely. Efron didn’t really do it for me, because I never really felt threatened or got a sinister vibe from him at all. The charm was all there, but it was definitely lacking. The only other performance I want to single out is John Malkovich as the judge but only because I want to shout him out for collecting a check on this for simply reading some of the worst lines I’ve ever heard. The editing is all over the place and the script is… unbelievably bad. You’re better off watching the other Netflix joint ‘The Ted Bundy Tapes’
Jeff (84/100): One of the surprise movies of 2019, ‘Long Shot’ is carried by fantastic chemistry between Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron, as well as a hilarious script for a familiar genre. With the exception of ‘VEEP’, political comedies have become incredibly forced and cringeworthy, but Seth Rogen and company manage to make everything in the movie’s political world feel rather natural.
There are moments where the movie feels a tad long and drags, it does have a an unusual 2-hour runtime for a comedy movie. Amazingly enough, the only jokes that felt somewhat forced were the drug related ones. I know it is a staple of Seth Rogen comedies, but drug humor felt a bit played out.
The climax of the movie is (literally) hilarious and there is a surprise role in the movie, similar to Tom Cruise in ‘Tropic Thunder’ that will blow your mind. In an era where good pure comedy movies are few and far between, ‘Long Shot’ is very worth a trip to the theater.
KenJac (83/100): It’s predictable and not exactly inventive, but in a dry spell of comedies ‘Long Shot’ stands out as both funny and charming. It’s decently written with some laugh-out-loud moments, a unique cameo, and it tells a political message without resorting to getting too political.
Seth Rogen is, well, Seth Rogen. A grimy dude dressed in streetwear that does drugs but is funny. Charlize Theron is great as a politician and surprisingly great at delivering comedic lines with a punch. There aren’t many other performances to highlight, and from a technical standpoint it definitely runs a little long. However, I liked the messaging about politics-obsessed people having the glass of their insular bubble shattered. It’s a fun and worthwhile watch if you’re looking for a boilerplate comedy.
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So ‘Long Shot’ is Officially Buttered while the Ted Bundy Netflix movie is Officially Not Buttered. Subscribe to Lights, Camera, Barstool where we will review ‘Detective Pikachu’ next week. Also, remember to rate all 2019 and 2018 movies below.
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