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Many of this year’s South by Southwest films make direct or indirect comments on the state of the United States since Donald Trump was elected, which is interesting to note. When you see a film such as “Us,” directed by Jordan Peele, you can easily see it as a dissection of the divisions in this country that have led us to become our own worst enemy. Harmony Korine introduced “The Beach Bum” by discussing the ways in which it makes political commentary on the year 2016. In addition, there’s the comedic approach that’s embedded within Jonathan Levine’s “Long Shot,” a rom-com with a political edge that’s sure to be one of the year’s most beloved crowdpleasers when it opens this weekend.
It’s impossible to miss the allusions to the 2016 presidential election in this film, which is a commentary on how much a female candidate must alter her personality in order to win over the electorate while a television star occupies the White House. Whatever political statement—or even a particularly insightful one on gender dynamics, to the film’s detriment—is made, it ultimately takes a back seat to one of the oldest stories in cinematic history: two wildly likable stars taking the weight of an entire film and carrying it through every aspect of their lives. A century has passed since audiences fell in love with romantic comedies, and it is usually not because of the social commentary that is embedded in the films. It’s because they admire the stars and want to see them succeed in their pursuit of happiness. For a long time, there hasn’t been a romantic comedy with two stars who are as likable and easy to root for as Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron are in this film.
Fred Flarsky (Seth Rogen) works as a journalist for an alternative weekly newspaper. He’s the type of guy who enjoys dropping f-bombs in his headlines and who gets a kick out of ruffling feathers and taking risks. Fred infiltrates a White Power organization and is willing to go to any length to obtain the story, including getting a Swastika tattoo, in order to do so. Since his journalistic integrity is essential to his identity, he can’t believe it when a conservative media mogul (played by a heavily made-up Andy Serkis) purchases the publication where he currently works. Fred packs his belongings and quits his job, intending to spend the rest of the day drowning his sorrows in drugs and beer with his best friend Lance (a fantastic O’Shea Jackson Jr.). His wealthy friend takes him to a fundraising event, where he runs into his old babysitter, Charlotte Field (Charlize Theron), who also happens to be the Secretary of State.
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President Chambers (Bob Odenkirk) has recently informed Charlotte that the former reality television star is tired of being the leader of the free world and wishes to transition into a career as a movie star instead. He has announced that he will not run for president in 2020, leaving the door open for Fields herself. As part of her campaign, Charlotte will embark on a world tour to raise awareness and support for an environmental initiative in which she strongly believes. She will be accompanied by a team that includes the tough Maggie Milliken (June Diane Raphael), who will work to craft an image that will win her election. She does, however, recall Fred, the wide-eyed kid who stood by her side decades ago. Furthermore, he recalls her when she was sixteen years old and still enthusiastic about the world. As a result, she assigns him the task of punching up her speeches, and Fred and Charlotte begin to develop a romantic relationship. He opens her up to new experiences and assists her in rediscovering her own voice. She instills in him a desire to be concerned about something other than himself. There’s also some very R-rated humor sprinkled throughout the film.
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Making a movie in 2019 that arguably asserts that the best way for a powerful woman to discover herself is to let her hair down and dance to Roxette is a little sticky politically. In spite of this, that scene serves as a perfect example of what works about “Long Shot,” in that Theron and Rogen sell it in such a genuine and joyful way that it’s easy to dismiss the politics and just give oneself over to the charm of it all. “Long Shot” is directed by David Fincher, who also wrote the screenplay. So, despite its extremely raunchy sense of humor, “Long Shot” is an incredibly old-fashioned romantic comedy, a genre that has frequently relied on the charm of its stars rather than on politics or social commentary. People didn’t fall in love with “Pretty Woman” because of its social commentary on sex workers; they fell in love with it because of the stars and their chemistry on the screen. It is often more about a look, a laugh, or a connection in this genre than it is about making a statement, and Levine remembers this well enough to keep “Long Shot” moving for the majority of its overly long 115 minutes runtime. He understands that the success of this film is dependent on how much we care about his leads and want to see them find happiness, so he only includes the Trump/Clinton connections as a side dish. Pretty Woman is the main course, rather than “The American President” as the first course (and this really is a gender-reversed version of that story if you think about it).
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But, if so much of the success of “Long Shot” is dependent on the performances of its stars, how do they manage to carry such a heavy burden? Seth Rogen hasn’t played a leading role in a rom-com in more than a decade, and he’s grown as an actor in that time, shedding some of his man-child tics while also keeping just enough of them to make Fred into a version of that self-defeating friend we all have in common. Although Rogen is extremely amusing, the film belongs to Theron, who once again demonstrates that she is capable of performing in any situation. There are very few actors who can transition so seamlessly from “Mad Max: Fury Road” to “Tully” to this and not miss a single beat in the process. Her comic timing is impeccable, and her chemistry with Rogen is believable. She also accomplishes something that is often lacking in political films: she convinces us that she is a legitimate political leader. It’s an outstanding performance. Returning to the aforementioned Roxette scene, she has a beat at the end of it that cuts through everything that could be said to be wrong with this movie by simply being deeply human in its execution.
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Several scenes in “Long Shot” could have been tightened, and the party drags on far too long, but it’s easy to imagine Levine and his team falling in love with Fred and Charlotte in the same way that I expect audiences will when the film is released. It will be difficult for you not to fall in love with them, no matter which side of the political fence you sit on or who you voted for in 2016.
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This review was originally published on March 10th, directly from SXSW.
For more personality quizzes check this: Overcomer Quiz.
