Film Review: Long Shot

The title and ads play up their mismatched qualities, and Charlize is made to look as gorgeous and glamourous as possible, while Seth proves as hairy and grungy as ever, and yet they work surprisingly well together. No, really.

Charlotte Field (Charlize) is Secretary of State of the United States and answerable to President Chambers (Bob Odenkirk from the smallscreen’s Better Call Saul), and when he decides to pack it in and go back to being a TV star (a very Trump thing to do) he endorses Charlotte to succeed him. Attempts to increase her popularity lead her to a society event and a private gig by an overage Boyz II Men, and here she meets inebriated and recently-sacked journo Fred Flarsky (as played by Rogen). And note that the movie was originally going to be called Flarsky until Seth and his pals wisely realised that the thing wasn’t only about him.

It transpires that Charlotte was once the then-gormless teen Fred’s babysitter, and the plot mechanics grind a little when she appoints him her speechwriter after checking out his snarky political writings and they set out on the campaign trail to Barcelona, the Philippines and beyond. Charlotte is trying to get elected on a platform that’s all about climate initiatives, and Fred gets all fired up about her passion – and her.

When they’re stuck in the middle of violent civil unrest, the inevitable happens, and Charlize and Seth manage to look convincingly hot for each other without laughing.

There are things here that don’t work: Alexander Skarsgård is more odd than funny in the small role of Canadian PM James Steward (who seems intended to be a bit Justin Trudeau-ish), while Andy Serkis is unrecognisable and dully unpleasant as Parker Wenbley, a grotesque, blackmail-friendly media tyrant blatantly modelled on you-know-who. And yet that allows more room for Theron and Rogen to do all the things that rom-com fans demand: sneak about during midnight trysts; dance slowly to (what else?) Roxette; and initially annoy each other so much that you know they’ve just got to fall in love. And hard.

Long Shot (M) is in cinemas now