Jonathan Levine faced a difficult task with his latest film Long Shot: making a modern romantic comedy that feels fresh during a time where most similar movies are generic and cliché-ridden. While Long Shot does occasionally employ a few of these clichés, the chemistry and comedic timing of Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron, the timely political setting and messages, as well as a veritable smorgasbord of amazing comedians in supporting roles, elevates the film above the rest of the pack.
Long Shot follows Fred Flarsky (Rogen), a talented yet hotheaded journalist who loses his job writing for a local paper due to his opinionated stance on the company’s acquisition by a media conglomerate. When Fred stumbles into US Secretary of State Charlotte Field (Theron) at a party, he and his childhood babysitter make awkward conversation, eventually resulting in an unlikely job offer – accompanying Charlotte around the world on a press tour as a speech writer. From here the story hits those familiar beats: the pair travel the world, becoming closer as they go until a relationship blossoms, they are then confronted by outside forces attempting to drive the pair apart – can they survive it? What differentiates Long Shot from its contemporaries the most is the heavy role politics has to play. The film is as much a commentary on the current political climate as it is a romance or comedy story. A key arc for Theron’s character is getting the environmental bill she has championed agreed to by world leaders, and it’s a topic that is more relevant now than it ever has been. Then there’s the push for Theron to run a presidential campaign, which asks the question “shouldn’t we elect the person who cares and is best suited for the job?”. Whilst Flarsky is a staunch democrat, the movie also looks at the the republican side of the debate too, raising issues about the increasing problem of blind public declarations of political support without a thorough understanding of both sides of the argument.
The best aspect of Long Shot is undoubtedly the chemistry between the two main leads. Rogen has shown that he is more than capable of playing the wild one in a relationship, just look at his brilliant turns in Knocked Up and Neighbours, but here he gets to play someone out of his depth. Flarsky is out of a job and down on his luck when he meets Charlotte, who is the complete opposite – well put together and at the top of her field. It’s a laugh riot watching Rogen try to ingratiate himself in Charlotte’s world, while at the same time resisting and voicing his opinions on every facet of her political world that he disagrees with. Some of the best jokes come from Flarsky’s misunderstanding of the life of a political candidate and, not to spoil anything, we get the obligatory Seth Rogen drug scene, which – in keeping with form – is hilarious and had the cinema howling with laughter. Charlize Theron proves that she can do no wrong and that she’s much more than just her Mad Max: Fury Road role, showcasing some serious comedy chops. She plays the character with just the right mix of seriousness and lightheartedness, which when combined with Rogen, makes for one of the most endearing on-screen couples in recent memory.
My favourite part about Long Shot however, has to be the stellar supporting cast. The film really helps shine a light on some brilliant comedic actors who might not be as well known to the general public. June Diane Raphael is wonderful as Theron’s assistant Maggie, and acts almost as a surrogate for the audience, in disbelief that this relationship is even a thing. Delivering her lines with a deadpan that will cut you to the core, she shines in the role and I genuinely hope that this pushes her into more roles in the future. The standout though is O’Shea Jackson, who has so many laugh-out-loud moments that I was almost annoyed when he wasn’t on-screen. He plays Rogen’s best friend Lance, who takes it upon himself to cheer Fred up following the loss of his job, and a scene where he leaves work in order to go party might have been the funniest of the film. Between this and an upcoming role in the new Godzilla movie, Jackson is forging a path for himself in Hollywood without relying on his father’s status, and I can’t wait to see what he does next. The film also features a slew of great actors in minor roles, all of whom crush their small parts, such as: Paul Scheer as a misogynist news anchor, Bob Odenkirk as a television actor turned president (sound familiar?), and Andy Serkis as a prosthetic laden, scenery chewing manager of a media company who vehemently opposes Charlotte’s environmental bill. It’s these small parts that really work to flesh out the world and bring in some comedy when the film decides to forego jokes from the leads to focus on the romance, and everyone gets a chance to shine.
While this may all sound perfect, there are still some flaws to be found in Long Shot. At a little over two hours, the movie is too long and enters some dry stretches where some cute romantic things happen, but nothing of real consequence to the story. This is here to flesh out the relationship more but it’s unnecessary given how invested we are in their relationship already through the jokes the couple share. The third act of the film also devolves into typical romantic comedy story beats, which was a shame given the stellar two acts that had come before. I was still invested in the characters, I just would have liked to see the momentum carried into the final act with some more jokes or a better executed finale.
Overall, Long Shot is a hugely enjoyable romantic comedy which will be a big crowd pleaser in a box office otherwise dominated by those avenging folk. While it does lose some of its momentum in the final act, there’s still plenty to love here and the chemistry and humour of Rogen, Theron and the entire supporting cast will ensure you walk away from this movie having gone through a pretty gruelling ab workout. Whilst it isn’t the best rom-com ever made, it doesn’t have to be and it certainly sits at the top of the pack in regards to recent offerings in the genre.
Long Shot stars Seth Rogen, Charlize Theron, June Diane Raphael, Andy Serkis and Alexander Sarsgård and is in cinemas now.