Long Shot | SXSW 2019 Film Review

The problem with the majority of romantic comedies is that – at some point over the film’s length – the clichés outweigh the personalities. We all know the path for films of this ilk, you can spot the trajectory a mile away: guy meets girl (or vice versa), opposites attract, an obstacle arises, they seem to falter, and then an emphatic declaration of love emerges as the credits crawl by. It’s movie science. And if the respective film’s personalities do not carry enough heft to jazz the entire proceedings up, we’re all tapping our watches and rolling our eyes long before anyone lifts up a boom box. Thankfully, Long Shot has enough personality to fuel an entire trilogy of romanticism.

Charlize Theron stars as Charlotte Field, the poised and refined United States Secretary of State. With President Chambers (Bob Odenkirk) aiming to vacate his post for a more lucrative venture – aka “The Movies” – Charlotte elects to pursue her lifetime goal of becoming the first female President in history.

Fred Flarsky (Seth Rogen) is everything Charlotte is not. Outwardly passionate, combative, and bombastic. Fred learns his paper has been absorbed by Andy Serkis’ Parker Wembley – an arrogant CEO in the vein of Rupert Murdoch – and impulsively quits his job, allowing his integrity to interfere with his basic need to pay for food and services. Thankfully, Fred has a scene-stealing best-friend in Lance (O’Shea Jackson Jr., who needs to be in basically everything, STAT!), and after a day celebrating his downward spiral with Lance, the duo end up at a party where Fred stumbles upon the love of his life, former babysitter and current Secretary of State Charlotte Field.

After a hilarious reconnection that leaves Charlotte glowing and Fred completely humiliated, she offers him an opportunity as her speechwriter while she positions for an eventual Presidential bid. His political views are bold and align with Charlotte’s own views of a fractured system. The two grow closer – which Charlotte’s advisors (June Diane Raphael and Ravi Patel) sternly caution against due to Fred’s utter lack of commercial appeal – and Fred and Charlotte ultimately find the aspects in each other to complement their own weaknesses. Opposites attract, you know the drill.

Every word above you have witnessed a hundred times before, though with a far less rounded cast. Conflicts arise, emotions are addressed, a handsome Prime Minister emerges, and hijinks ensue. Long Shot has no interest in rewriting the rules of the romantic-comedy. And honestly, that’s absolutely perfect. Because Theron and Rogen are unique enough on their own as one of the most unlikely couples in some time. By the end of the film, it becomes a matter of science that Charlotte Field and Fred Flarsky were always destined for each other.

Charlize Theron is a versatile actress, capable of varying degrees of anguish and grit, yet she rarely finds the opportunity for lighter fare. Here, she portrays a woman of stalwart character navigating a male dominated culture, yet imbued with a dark sense of humor which only Fred seems to appreciate.

It is important to note, especially in a film like this, that it isn’t one of those instances where “it takes a man to show a woman she can laugh” or any such nonsense. Charlotte has always been confident, self-assured, and also fairly hilarious. Ultimately, her nose-to-the-grind obsession with work and wading through political turmoil has forced her to subdue the lighter aspects of herself in the hurried buzz that is Washington. Fred serves as a gentle reminder of her own past, a more innocent time when she refused to sacrifice priorities for the sake of aspirations.

Fred Flarsky, on the other hand, desperately needs Charlotte Field in his life. His bull-in-a-china-shop approach to journalism has done him no favors, and Flarsky’s “integrity” has made him damn near unhireable. Field affords him a last-ditch attempt to save his career, and also garner a little one-on-one time with his first love.

Seth Rogen’s acting chops might not be as dexterous as Theron’s, but his impeccable timing and approach to a well-placed politically incorrect zinger are fairly unrivaled in modern Hollywood. Flarsky is a loveable schlub with limited self-control, and Field teaches him diplomacy as Rogen navigates the comedic waters. Flarsky carries the doe-eyed pining clichés for long stretches of Long Shot, and therefore Rogen stretches a bit by tacking on heart and depth to a character he typically plays for straight laughs.

R-rated romantic comedies are a dying breed, honestly because there is rarely a fresh idea in the bunch. The political perspectives here manage to surprisingly engage both sides of the aisle, and the raunchier moments tend to fall more into the “every adult can be an idiot” category than just sheer gross-out humor. Yet while director Jonathan Levine offers twice as much naughty as he does nice, the film also doesn’t reinvent the wheel.

What it DOES do is deliver the best romantic comedy in ages through a stellar supporting cast and a wild pairing in Theron and Rogen, which seems impossible to imagine at first glance, yet by the final frame you’ll be sporting “Field and Flarsky 2020” bumper stickers. This Long Shot pays off.