LONG SHOT

SYNOPSIS:
When Fred Flarsky (Seth Rogan) reunites with his first crush, one of the most influential women in the world, Charlotte Field (Charlize Theron), he charms her. As she prepares to make a run for the Presidency, Charlotte hires Fred as her speechwriter and sparks fly.

Review by Louise Keller:
The unlikely romantic pairing of Charlize Theron and Seth Rogan successfully offers giggles in quirky situations, although messages about gender politics, role playing, racism and satire are less successful. Director Jonathan Levine (Snatched, 2017) embraces the material by TV sitcom writer Dan Sterling and Liz Hannah as he hijacks us on a wild and wacky adventure in which the glamorous, elegant and perfectly coiffed Theron (as the aspiring Presidential candidate) is pitted against the scruffy, bearded Rogan with his distinctively husky voice and foul language (as a passionately committed journalist).

Humour overrides sexual chemistry (if it could exist) and the first sexual encounter between Theron's Charlotte Field and Rogan's Fred Flarsky (complete with intimate sex-talk) is hilarious. As for the American Pie style gross-out masturbation moment - they say that some images cannot be unseen.

The premise is highly implausible, yet we go along for the ride as opposites attract and Rogan's fish-out-of-water gets sucked into the high-flying world of politics, power and glamour. It is the appeal of the two stars that sustains the action, although the film lags as it overtakes the two-hour mark.

Elements include a US President who wants to quit the White House for a career in the movies; a seriously stoned Charlotte who is called upon to negotiate with a terrorist while 'seriously f**cked up'; an overbearing media mogul played by Andy Serkis and a wonderful running gag involving the Canadian PM who has the hots for Charlotte. (Alexander Skarsgard is a real scene stealer.) The tete a tete in which the PM reveals his laugh (the refined public image laugh and his real hee-haw laugh) is one of my favourite moments.

It's light-weight and totally forgettable, yet Long Shot injects a vial of charm - as unlikely as it is.