Long Shot

photo courtesy of consequenceofsound.net

SPOILER-FREE REVIEW

     Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron team up for Long Shot, a new romantic comedy directed by Jonathan Levine. Rogen plays Fred Flarsky, a down-on-his-luck journalist who runs into Charlotte (Theron), the Secretary of State and Fred’s childhood babysitter. Charlotte hires Fred as a speechwriter on her upcoming presidential campaign, and the two quickly discover they have a lot in common. But in Charlotte’s highly competitive world, a romance with someone like Fred is a liability.

     Long Shot is all kinds of preposterous and all kinds of charming. Boosted by good dialogue, great performances, and a dash of old-fashioned fantasy, it’s one of the most memorable romantic comedies of the last few years.

photo courtesy of portlandmercury.com

     The movie thrives, in large part, because of Rogen and Theron’s performances in the lead roles. They have surprisingly great chemistry together, which makes their scenes—comedic, tragic, romantic, whatever—feel natural. Rogen’s character is a loser-type, at least when compared to Theron’s hyper-successful Secretary of State. He comes across as down to earth, if a bit arrogant. Theron, by contrast, is too busy to take a breath. Neither type is exceptionally likeable on paper, but Rogen and Theron seem very at ease in their roles and in their romance. They make the characters people we want to root for.

     The writing certainly helps their case. In a broader sense, the screenplay has its weaknesses; it’s structurally uneven, it tries too hard to score points, and it gets a bit carried away with itself in the final act. But inside scenes, writers Dan Sterling and Liz Hannah inject clever and naturalistic dialogue, including some terrific one-liners. They also craft several touching scenes, generally in the middle of the movie, where the convincingly romance simmers in its early stages.

photo courtesy of comingsoon.net

     And Long Shot isn’t afraid to indulge in a bit of make-believe. The whole thing functions like a fairy tale, ultimately giving into rom-com conventions and embracing its overriding sense of optimism. It’s genuinely delightful, and it’s part of the reason Long Shot works. But unlike some rom-coms, it doesn’t let the absurdity of the whole thing keep it from wrestling with real ideas. There are some surprisingly complex topics weaved into the action, which end up making Long Shot and its characters feel more layered than you might expect. So by the time the credits roll, Long Shot manages to feel intelligent and warmhearted all at once.

Long Shot is rated R for strong sexual content, language throughout and some drug use.

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