Apparently, there will never be too many romantic comedies involving time travel. Long Story Short is one such film about second chances. Teddy (Rafe Spall) is a newlywed with a strange problem. Every few minutes he moves forward one year in his life. As he watches his future flash before his eyes, Teddy must make every second count to win back the woman he loves.
The film has its share of funny moments. The cast are easy to like and have a fun chemistry together. Many moments will leave the audience with a smile on their faces. There is a predictability to Long Story Short that cannot be avoided, but it is not without its charm. In fact, its ability to seamlessly meet audience expectations may add to its likability.
That being said, the movie has more than its fair share of dour moments. This is not surprising considering Long Story Short is about a person trying to save their marriage. There just seems to be more of them than the average rom-com. This would not necessarily be a problem if the writing was able to bring together the contrasting moods.
Trying to do so much in such a short time is one issue. Cramming a decade into an hour and a half is a tall order. For the sake of the story, certain things have to be left out. The choice to not flesh out the relationship between Teddy and his wife Leanne (Zahra Newman) is an odd one, however. the whole point of Long Story Short is his trying to fix a relationship the audience knows very little about.
The film never gets tired thanks to its strong leads. Newman is especially amazing in what easily could have been little more than a supporting role. She brings unexpected energy to the character. This helps Long Story Short be more than just another retread. This does not mean it does not follow a very set pattern. It just happens to be a lot of fun along the way.
Long Story Short comes to theaters, on demand, and digital July 2nd
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