These days romantic comedies have become so formulaic and predictable, audiences are starting to check out halfway through the trailer. The only way to reinvigorate the genre is to do something outrageous or unexpected, or perhaps even something far-fetched. Just about everyone I know has laughed at the idea of LONG SHOT, in which Charlize Theron plays the Secretary of Defense under a President on his way out, finding herself with a genuinely strong chance of becoming the first female President of the United States, and just as things start getting serious she reunites with an old acquaintance who is all the things she’s not. That old acquaintance is played by Seth Rogen, portraying a stoner “gotcha” journalist freshly out of a job and future. She’s elegant and well respected, he’s scroungy and unrefined… can these two possibly find some sort of meaningful relationship? Well, if they couldn’t, we wouldn’t have much of a movie, would we? Then again this is meant to be a comedy, though the end result is something more, and at times unexpectedly great.

Fred Flarsky (Rogen) writes an online column in which he looks for controversial stories with shocking angles. As the story opens, we’re undercover with him as he infiltrates a white supremacy group, barely convincing them he’s on their side. Shortly after this adventure, Fred finds out his company has sold out to Parker Wembley (an unrecognizable Andy Serkis), a filthy rich media mogul who Flarsky considers the enemy of everything he stands for, and refuses to work for him… so he insists on quitting, which even his boss (a small role for Randall Park) says is silly as they could fire him and he’d get a nice severance package… though Fred insists he must quit, and quickly finds out he can’t find another job. Secretary of Defense Charlotte Field (Theron) is working under an incompetent President Chambers (Bob Odenkirk) who was literally elected because he played the U.S. President on a TV show, and Americans were so used to seeing him play the Commander in Chief, they voted him to do it for real. A ludicrous idea for sure, but not terribly far from where we are now. Chambers decides he wants to pursue movies now, thinking it’s somehow more important than his current job, which opens the door for Charlotte to make a run for the Presidency. While she’s adored for her looks and poise, and strong stance on certain issues, there are other areas where she needs improvement, like her speeches and even her awkward wave.

One night during a fundraiser party, Fred and his friend Lance (O’Shea Jackson Jr.) find themselves in the same building as Charlotte, who is bored to tears trying to schmooze with stuffy investors and politicians. She sees Fred and recognizes him from their youthful days, requesting to speak with him. As they catch up, the exchange is anything but smooth, and ends with Parker Wembley butting in and talking down to Fred. Incensed with this interruption by the man who just ruined his life, Flarsky unleashes insults on Wembley in front of everyone, and then takes an epic fall down the stairs becoming an online meme. As Charlotte’s assistants laugh at her old friend’s failings, she finds his boldness endearing, especially since she too hates Wembley, and ends up offering him a job as her speech writer. With few alternative options available, Fred takes the gig, but only under the pretense that Charlotte must stick to her guns and do what she promises, as he doesn’t want to write for someone disingenuous. As they travel together on her extensive campaign, Fred and Charlotte form an unlikely interest in each other, which could potentially derail her chances of winning.

We’ve seen these types of comedies before, a mismatched pair that seem to find romance against all odds, usually with comedic results. Rogen himself is no stranger to this type of story – KNOCKED UP comes to mind. But while there are plenty of laugh out loud moments in LONG SHOT, the film manages to be a smart and at times really surprising script. Director Jonathan Levine (50/50) finds a brilliant balance of humor and heart in this story, much more than you might expect, though he’s proven himself great at that time and time again in his previous works. Rogen isn’t scared to play his characterization of Flarsky as a somewhat pathetic soul, tragically sloppy and uncouth, but still with strong integrity. He’s the “let loose” side missing in Charlotte’s life, and as she learns throughout the film, he is quite good with his words. Theron is quite believable as the attractive political mind with a few minor but important flaws, and it’s easy to accept her in this role with her chameleon-like acting ability. Charlize also gets some great opportunities to be really funny, and she’s quite good with comedy. You wouldn’t expect these two to have great chemistry, but they absolutely do.

The rest of the cast is made up of smart and sometimes very inspired choices. Alexander Skarsgård plays a handsome but somewhat goofy Canadian Prime Minister, someone the people would like to see Charlotte end up with, though she’s just not into the idea. June Diane Raphael and Ravi Patel are fun as Charlotte’s campaign managers, with Raphael (who is normally very funny) playing a great foil for Fred, even if she’s only looking out for Charlotte’s best interests. O’Shea Jackson Jr. has some fantastic moments as Fred supportive friend Lance, who will drop everything to help his buddy. Bob Odenkirk is perfect as the media-obsessed President, and Andy Serkis is effectively sleazy as the heavily made-up media mogul who becomes a thorn in the side of both protagonists… I made it all the way through the film before realizing it was him, and I follow that guy pretty closely, so that’s impressive.

LONG SHOT isn’t anything shockingly new or unique, but for what it is the end result is very well done. It reminded me of movies like DAVE (which I adore) and perhaps even PRETTY WOMAN a bit. But outside of select similarities, it still manages to hold its own and may just be one of Rogen’s best and smartest comedies to date. At two hours and five minutes run time, the movie does overstay its welcome a bit toward the end, but the overall product is quite satisfying. I also respected the ending, which doesn’t quite go in the direction you might expect, but still feels just right.

Be Sociable, Share!

• 
•