‘Long Shot’ is good, but not great

The romantic-comedy genre is known to pump out some pretty cheesy, unrealistic yet charming stories that dazzle and make viewers fall in love with, well — love. “Long Shot” manages to make laughs at the current political climate while sticking with the warm-hearted, comedic fantasy formula of the genre. “Long Shot” succeeds at devoting equal attention to both the “rom” and the “com” aspect of its genre, while cleverly mixing Seth Rogen’s signature raunchy touch of realism to create a hilarious yet charming and unconventional love story all around.

“Long Shot” tells the story of an older, hotter and politically powerful woman Charlotte Field (played by Charlize Theron) that becomes associated with an old high school friend and journalist Fred Flarsky (played by Seth Rogen). Unlike typical rom-coms that target mainly female audiences, “Long Shot” targets a broader audience with the help of Rogen’s humor — including the mention of the drugs molly, otherwise known as MDMA.

In addition to the storyline, the performance from both Rogen and Theron deserves a considerable round of applause for maintaining incredible, playful chemistry throughout the film. The romance is almost real-life believable.

However, I wouldn’t say that “Long Shot” is a film that’s going to save the rom-com genre. While it may be clever and funny, its overall very predictable. The ultimate trope of the dorky guy landing the hot girl who’s way out of his league follows the exact formula of every Rogen movie. Theron plays an empowered goddess in Chanel, while Rogen plays himself disguised in a windbreaker and baseball cap.

It also seems that the movie is more interested in Fred rather than the female lead. While Chanel — the youngest Secretary of State and presidential candidate — is breaking the glass ceiling, the film mainly focuses on the male lead’s journey — even giving him the agency to either accept or decline his relationship with Chanel. Big studios would rather pour tremendous resources into male-driven blockbusters than take a shot at flushing out female leads such as Theron. Additionally, the film felt a bit too long — a lot of parts could have been skipped over.

While “Long Shot” did do it differently than other typical rom-coms, it still had the same, old formula that made the movie feel all too familiar.

3.5 out of 5 stars

The Good:

-A clever way to incorporate the political climate in a comedic tone.

-Incredible chemistry between Theron and Rogen.

-Unconventional love story between empowered cougar and beta male journalist.

The Bad:

-Rogen plays himself — just in a windbreaker and baseball cap.

-Too long.

-Lacks focus on the strong, female lead.