Long Shot

There are a handful of romantic comedies that are fairly criticized for being too repetitive with overused premises: the shlubby guy who meets their romantic interest and they end up connecting, despite their differences in career and personalities. Those that aren't favored too much often have the lead actors lacking the on-screen chemistry to carry the story well, rely too much on sex jokes, and cliches that feel crammed in so that a break-up/make-up scenario can take place. This brings us to Long Shot, a new entry in that genre featuring a well-known comedian who gets a bit of a bum rap, Seth Rogen. While he's definitely built up around fulfilling that down on his luck protagonist with plenty of drug jokes sprinkled in, he hasn't stepped into the romance area that much with only Knocked Up and Zack & Miri being the closest films up there (no, Sausage Party doesn't count). The trailers didn't seem to help hyping this new project up for audiences but I had a feeling that something simple could be refreshing (plus I needed a good rom-com after Crazy Rich Asians missed those opportunities there). I entered the auditorium ready to see how entertaining it can and left it happy that it provided more laughs than I thought it would.

What's it about? The story follows a journalist meeting his former babysitter who's now the United States Secretary of State and is hired to improve her speeches to boost her poll numbers for her goal of a Presidential campaign. Let's get this out of the way: yes, it's borrowing a similar concept from Pretty Woman (1990) where a person in power hires someone from a lower block of life to do a job during a crucial career move and both grow from the experience. They make a reference towards that and plays as straightforward as can be expected while poking fun at itself. The humor actually feels like an effort was made to punch up the smart jokes and tone down those sexual/drug related ones. It goes on a predictable narrative but it doesn't feel that ludicrous in its environment for most of the film.

However, the faults of the genre rear their ugly face in spurts to interrupt the flow of the film and remind how stereotypical other characters can be for story purposes. The third act suffers from a familiar sequence of events that accompanies these features where the looming conflict established earlier rears its face for boring predictability.

How are Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron? Seth gives a good performance for his role here pretty well, which isn't surprising since it's the type that launched his film career over a decade, and thankfully he doesn't over-exaggerate it that much. It feels like he's getting better at dialing back his acting style a bit (but has to make sure it doesn't get stale). Charlize surprised me with her comedic acting, which is certainly different from the dramatic and action work she has done over the years. The way she portrays the awkwardness of a politician in attempting to make her image look better for the public is fun to watch. The chemistry between these two actors is definitely a highlight that bolsters this rom com to be as entertaining as it is. Honorable mentions go to Lance (O'Shea Jackson), Maggie (June Diane Raphael), and President Chambers (Bob Odenkirk) for contributing to the humor in their limited screen time.

Overall Consensus: Long Shot doesn't elevate its genre into new grounds but remains enjoyable through its funny humor, performance and chemistry of the romantic leads, and a light hearted tone that doesn't take itself seriously. ⭑⭑⭑⭑🎟🍿 Runtime: 2 hours 5 minutes R

Reasons to watch it: You like any of the aforementioned actors. You enjoy romantic features that rely on the chemistry of its leads. You don't mind overused story cliches, pop culture references, and gags involving drugs.

Reasons to avoid it: You dislike any of the aforementioned actors. You hate romantic features. You are annoyed with overused story cliches, pop culture references, and gags involving drugs