‘Long Shot’ (2019) Review

Long Shot Synopsis: When Fred Flarsky reunites with his first crush, one of the most influential women in the world, Charlotte Field, he charms her. As she prepares to make a run for the Presidency, Charlotte hires Fred as her speechwriter and sparks fly.

Oh boy! Thanks to the unique pairing of Seth Rogan and Charlize Theron, I have been excited to see Long Shot since the first trailer dropped. My anticipation only intensified when positive reviews emerged from its showing at SXSW. When the opportunity came to snag a pass to a screening in my hometown, I grabbed it.

I’m thrilled that Long Shot met my expectations and then some. Obviously, I’m not too hard to please when it comes to romantic comedies, but even I can admit that they’re quite formulaic. It takes a special script and pairing to bring about anything new or remotely original.

Long Shot doesn’t exactly subvert the genre, but it also doesn’t need to. With a biting, witty screenplay from Liz Hannah and Dan Sterling, director Jonathan Levine sets an unlikely (but not impossible) romance against the backdrop of the country’s current political and moral shortcomings.

Andy Serkis is essentially unrecognizable as Parker Wembley, a billionaire who runs the large ring-wing conglomerate that buys out the company where journalist Fred Flarsky (Seth Rogan) works. Fred is passionate and quite vocal about his beliefs, and he resigns from his position in protest. Feeling down on his luck, Fred is invited by his successful best friend Lance (O’Shea Jackson Jr.) to a swanky party to see Boys II Men perform.

There, Fred spots the woman who used to babysit him when she was sixteen and he was thirteen. The woman is Charlotte Field (Charlize Theron), the Secretary of State. Charlotte is just as passionate about her work as Fred, and she has convinced President Chambers (Bob Odenkirk) to endorse her for President in 2020 after he revealed that he won’t seek re-election. Chambers is a former television star and a bit dimwitted, but he is ready to accept the difficult challenge of transitioning into movies.

Charlotte is about to embark on a tour of twenty countries to gather support for an environmental initiative she has put together to help save the planet, and she needs someone to punch up her speeches. After she and Fred reconnect, she offers him a job as her speechwriter. Without any other work on the horizon and eager for a chance to spend time with Charlotte, Fred accepts under the condition that Charlotte’s initiative will actually do something good for the planet and not just be another political agenda that goes nowhere. Over the next few weeks, Charlotte and Fred get to know one another again and begin to fall in love.

Of course, there are obstacles to their relationship. As a woman, Charlotte faces more scrutiny and harsh judgment than her male counterparts. The public grades her on her humor, elegance, and hand wave. Dating a man like Fred Flarsky would be impossible to sell to the public, a point that her assistant Maggie (a wonderfully snarky June Diane Raphael) continues to drive home.

There is also political pressure from the President and Wembley, whom the President answers to, causing Charlotte to rethink her initiative, which upsets Fred and forces him to question her dedication to the issues she has always been so passionate about. Charlotte’s dream has always been to become the President of the United States, but will she sacrifice all of that for Fred? Should she have to?

This film truly works because of the remarkably adorable chemistry between Rogan and Theron. The tagline is beyond accurate: Unlikely, but not impossible. Rogan’s Fred Flarsky is loud and occasionally crass with a terrible fashion sense, but he is also honest and morally sound. Rogan plays Fred as a lovable, heartfelt mess with ease, and never once did I ask myself what Charlotte could possibly see in him.

Charlotte, on the other hand, is beautiful and intelligent but also down-to-earth and kind, which doesn’t seem to be much of a stretch for Theron. At the same time, you would never expect a woman who looks like Charlotte to fall for a guy who looks like Fred; their attraction to one another is so immediate and feels so authentic that you never doubt it. You root for them at their first glance across a crowded dance floor.

Long Shot has plenty of romance, but it also more than delivers on the comedy. The humor is both raunchy and clever, and Theron especially delivers a dedicated, comedic performance, going toe to toe with Rogan in every scene and often outshining him. It has to be noted that one of the funniest recurring gags in Long Shot is the media coverage of Charlotte’s success. Only one channel out of the lot, Wembley Media, focuses solely on Charlotte’s appearance and the fact that she’s a woman. There is no doubt what channel Wembley Media is supposed to represent, but thankfully, it has a satisfying payoff.

There are some wonderful throwbacks to the ’90s, including a couple of nods to Pretty Woman. Even though the movie may follow the tried-and-true rom-com formula, Long Shot still feels fresh thanks to the edgy political commentary, the engaging humor, and fantastic performances from Rogan and Theron.

Watched: 04/09/2019
Notable Song: Must Have Been Love by Roxette