A generic titled comedy can be good
I think the term ’Romantic comedy’ has become a dirty word in cinema and in some ways, I find that to be a shame. Movies like ‘When Harry met Sally’ and on some level “Groundhog Day’ were, in my opinion, classic comedies, with either a major or minor romantic subplots. The genre has been watered down, so much so that when we think of the term, we think of How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days or The Ugly Truth. The question is that, is Long Shot a new turn around for an older genre, or is it a cookie cutter movie that abides all tropes?
It turns out it’s the former! Long Shot, directed by Jonathan Levine (50/50 & The Night Before), follows the story of Fred Flarsky (Seth Rogen) a political journalist reporting for a small online company when, after a few comical events, he becomes invited to a party where the Secretary of State (Charlize Theron) is also attending. They have an awkward history but rekindle a friendship as she askes him to be her new speech writer for her upcoming presidential campaign.
Nothing too ground-breaking in the initial idea, but it’s the events that surround the story and eventual love story that follows that makes this an enjoyable movie. Seth Rogen does his brand of comedy, which I feel is over speaking and being embarrassingly honest, to a point where no one ever goes and it works (which I feel always does). That being said, when put next to a great actress like Charlize Theron, he seems to pull out his acting chops too. Their chemistry is great and surprising, which I feel is the main crux of the film and it was clever and a pleasure to see.
The love story itself is convincing and surprising. It breaks down tropes in the first ten minutes and proceeds to be a more modern story the whole way through. Just when I thought it would fall back into a standard Hollywood love story, it pivots and gives us something real, which I feel is something easier to connect to and therefore had a greater impact on my viewing experience. I don’t want to explain all the norms that were changed but the major one that sticks out, is the fact that she was the ‘more attractive and more successful one’ but the movie never discounts Seths’ character or personality and that’s something I felt was great. That being coupled with the fact that the person in the power role was a female was handled with care and not shoved in your face, which was also nice to see.
The comedy, the script and the overall message were all there and great. I don’t think this changed cinema, but I think it presents a precedent of what a genre should aspire to be. Not just a better movie in general but a movie that presents new tropes and newer ideas and was never afraid to be itself and let its message be a funny, endearing and enjoyable watching experience. Long Shot is a generic title, should’ve stayed with Flarsky, but it certainly won’t be a longshot from being one of your favourite comedies