This article brought to you by Lake Gregory Recreation and Top Producers Realty
By Nathan Hurlbut
When we first meet Fred Flarsky (Seth Rogan) in the opening scene of “Long Shot”, he is Hitler-salute deep in a neo-Nazi meeting. Recording the event on his phone, it’s clear Fred doesn’t belong there; his half-hearted enthusiasm is an amusing dead give-away. However, once Fred’s true identity as an undercover reporter is discovered, he is lucky to escape with his life, with a half-finished swastika tattoo freshly emblazoned on his left arm for his troubles.
If you think this sounds like a peculiar way to begin a romantic comedy, you’re right. This initial scene does manage to jump-start the story with an adrenaline-fueled opening that is frequently customary for big budget movies. However, the unusual setting serves notice that the film will be a refreshingly unpredictable take on one of Hollywood’s most well-worn genres.
Quitting his writing job in the face of a corporate takeover that compromises his journalistic integrity, Fred decides to attend a fundraiser with his best friend Lance (O’Shea Jackson Jr.) to drown his sorrows. Once there, he exchanges glances with statuesque beauty Charlotte Field (Charlize Theron). He remembers her as his former babysitter that he is still has a crush on, and she recognizes him as well.
It turns out Charlotte is now serving as our country’s Secretary of State, and she is in need of a skilled comedic writer to pump up her future campaign for President. She hires Fred to fill the role, and soon becomes smitten with Fred’s outsize personality, as they quickly bond over their mutually shared political beliefs. This eventually blossoms into a romantic relationship, as Fred becomes a symbol of the youthful idealism that Charlotte is on the verge of compromising for the benefit of her political career.
Needless to say, this is a most unusual version of the typical meet-cute scenario you find in most romantic comedies, and the movie is all the better for it. It speaks volumes about the film’s intent to subvert the genre’s usual cliches, while still remaining true to the formula as a whole. Typical gender roles are cleverly reversed here, as Charlotte is actually older than Fred, and is clearly in the position of power as well. Plus, it is Fred who is eventually asked to make personal compromises for the relationship, while Charlotte is the one making the most serious demands, further upending familiar stereotypes.
Of course, the movie’s title itself confronts the implausibility of this central relationship, and the story essentially serves as a wish-fulfillment fantasy for Fred. However, thanks to the sensitive performances of both Charlize Theron and Seth Rogan, their situation remains as believable as it does.
Theron brings a confident degree of poise and authority to her role as we watch her suffer through many indignities in her verbal exchanges with various men of power. This is most amusing with Bob Odenkirk as narcissistic President Chambers, whose preference for a movie star career over a second term as President is a sly bit of contemporary satire.
It’s just one example of the way the film specifically addresses the added difficulties of being a woman in her position. Theron convincingly brings added depth to this situation by portraying her character’s struggle between personal compromise and career ambition with emotional resonance. Plus, the way she reinforces her character’s deep-seated idealism makes her unlikely attraction to Fred into a fairly convincing affair.
Seth Rogan certainly assists her in that department. He brings his personal charm and facility with clever comic quips to the table, making their attraction that much more plausible. This plausibility may eventually wane as the film plays out, eventually collapsing under the weight of the film’s formulaic nature at its conclusion. However, it’s a testament to both actors that they inject it with as much sincerity and authenticity as they do, frequently making “Long Shot” into a surprisingly enjoyable success.