There’s a sense of wish fulfillment to watching a movie about a gorgeous, brilliant woman falling for an awkward nerd, but there’s just as much wish fulfillment these days in watching a movie about a competent, caring politician.
Both wishes get fulfilled in the clever and charming romantic comedy “Long Shot,” which underperformed at the box office in 2019 and hasn’t yet built up the cult following it deserves. But it’s one of the best rom-coms of the past decade, and anyone looking for a smart, funny love story should check it out on Netflix before it leaves at the end of this month.
Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron play the unlikely couple, whose unexpected romance shakes up both of their lives as well as the political landscape of the United States. That’s because Theron’s Charlotte Field is the U.S. secretary of state, working for a buffoonish actor-turned-president (Bob Odenkirk) who was only elected because he played the president on TV. She secures his endorsement for her own presidential campaign when he decides not to run for re-election, and she hires former investigative journalist Fred Flarsky (Rogen) as her speechwriter.
The chemistry between Rogen and Theron carries ‘Long Shot’
From the moment they first meet, there is an appealingly off-kilter chemistry between the poised, confident Charlotte and the blustery, nervous Fred. They were childhood neighbors, but they haven’t seen each other in decades, until Fred’s slick Wall Street buddy Lance (O’Shea Jackson Jr.) takes him to a fancy party where Charlotte is mingling with the rich and powerful. Fred has just left his job at a left-leaning newspaper that was purchased by a leering conservative mogul (Andy Serkis), and he’s feeling angry and dejected.
Charlotte is the one who makes the first move, telling her security detail to bring Fred over to speak with her, and throughout “Long Shot,” screenwriters Dan Sterling and Liz Hannah and director Jonathan Levine slyly subvert expected rom-com gender roles without ever making Fred’s passivity into something emasculating.
Fred tells Charlotte how much he respects her accomplishments because that’s genuinely how he feels, and there’s never a moment when he feels threatened by her success. In turn, she’s never condescending about Fred’s personal or professional struggles, and that makes them a much better match than plenty of rom-com couples, despite the superficial implausibility of their pairing.
They share a love for cheesy music, bonding over Roxette’s “It Must Have Been Love” and the Boyz II Men performance at the party where they reunite. They also share a passion for making the world a better place, and they challenge each other’s assumptions about the best way to accomplish that. The political messaging in “Long Shot” is soft at times, but the movie allows its characters to take their moral values seriously and acknowledges the importance of those values in a couple’s compatibility.
‘Long Shot’ is equally romantic and funny
Theron has spent most of her career in dramatic and/or action-oriented roles, and her comedic skills remain underrated. Rogen plays a familiar character for him, a somewhat stunted man-child who doesn’t quite know how to interact with proper society. Theron, too, starts out playing one of her typical roles, before revealing Charlotte’s goofy side in surprising moments (this is the only movie in which it would be possible for Theron to quote Pauly Shore). She matches Rogen’s goofy energy with her own, especially during a scene in which Charlotte has to negotiate an international crisis while high on molly after a reckless night out with Fred.
When the characters drop the joking and get serious about their growing connection with each other, “Long Shot” is equally engaging, and it portrays a modern, female-led relationship in a way that almost no other mainstream rom-coms have done. It’s not just Charlotte’s high-profile political position that requires her to be cautious about Fred, but also the extra intense scrutiny she receives as a woman, over every gesture and utterance she makes in public. “Long Shot” is perceptive about that imbalance, without ever turning into a lecture.
The filmmakers also don’t deny the audience the satisfaction of seeing the central couple in love, and “Long Shot” ultimately follows the predictable rom-com formula. It does so in the most satisfying way, though, in which there’s a genuine rooting interest in seeing the characters get together and find happiness.
That’s a rare rom-com achievement, and the fact that it comes alongside such intelligent social commentary makes it even rarer. More rom-com fans should take the time to appreciate that before “Long Shot” leaves Netflix.
“Long Shot” is streaming through November 30 on Netflix
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