When you hear the phrase ‘Political Romantic Comedy’ it doesn’t exactly make you rush to your local cinema, does it? But after seeing Longshot I may have to reassess how quickly I judged this film. Longshot is absolutely hilarious and may just be one of Rogen’s funniest features.
Long Shot revolves around Charlize Theron who plays the current Secretary of State Charlotte Field. With aspirations of becoming the first female president, she runs into Fred Flarsky (Rogen) a recently fired journalist of whom she has a history with. Charlotte recruits Fred to write her speeches to really add that humor and relatable voice to her delivery. What follows is an insane journey of hilarious proportions with heart as they find love in the most unlikely place.
Rogen and Theron share a wonderful chemistry on-screen that is captivating and hilarious. I always had this assumption that Theron couldn’t really let loose with any of her roles, but the shackles are off in Long Shot and she is endearing and laugh-out-loud funny. The political themes aren’t as heavy as you may expect with the narrative focusing on this blossoming relationship between the two.
Fred Flarksy is just an average joe that gives everyone hope of finding that stunningly beautiful and emotionally strong woman. Whilst the film isn’t breaking any new ground the focus on hope, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and more it’s a refreshing change of pace to watch. Hollywood always focuses on the hunky 6-Pac stricken men picking up the beautiful Playboy model. Long Shot is relatable in so many ways and it’ll resonate with audiences worldwide.
As the film progresses Fred and Charlotte tour the world together and suddenly the film turns into an action movie. This rush of adrenaline comes out of nowhere and forces the two together even closer than they were before. It’s so great to watch Rogen and Theron bounce comedic lines off one another.
Fred has good intentions, he only wants to stand up for what is right and doesn’t want to be dragged into questionable politics. The scenes in which he stands up for what he believes is quite powerful stuff. Very passionate in his approach regarding political issues with a keen focus on saving the environment is a heavy focus of this film.
Director Jonathan Levine has taken Rogen’s limited range and utilized it to perfection in this movie. The film plays on his strengths and his performance radiates as a result. There’s so much fun going on screen it’s hard not to be infected by it. The dorky kid gets the girl and that’s a beautiful story in and of itself. With supporting acts such as Bob Odenkirk and O’Shea Jackson Jr. even the slower scenes make you smile.
Long Shot certainly exceeded my expectations. I didn’t think that I would enjoy it half as much as I did!
Review by Sean Evans
Summary
Longshot is infectiously good fun. A sharp script and wonderful chemistry between our leads make Longshot a surprise standout in 2019 comedy cinema. Theron plays The Secretary of State character with ease but it’s when Rogen is introduced her character that Theron can let really let loose as this film explores the inner child in all of us.
