Fred Flarsky has spent years being the wrong guy for everything. Now he’s the right guy for Charlotte Field — and the whole world knows it.
“Long Shot” is a romantic comedy about a journalist and his former babysitter who fall in love while she runs for president. It’s also a film about political power, corporate influence, and the idea that two people from opposite sides of the income gap can still connect. Directed by Jonathan Levine, written by Dan Sterling and Liz Hannah, and starring Charlize Theron and Seth Rogen, the movie wants to be both a laugh machine and a commentary on the system. Mostly, it succeeds at the former.
Trailer, via Lionsgate Movies.
Fred Flarsky and Charlotte Field
Fred is a New York City journalist who quits his job after discovering the newspaper has been sold to Parker Wembley, a wealthy media mogul with Republican politics. He becomes depressed and unable to find work. Charlotte, meanwhile, is the United States Secretary of State. She learns that President Chambers, a former television actor, does not plan on running for a second term, as he is trying to break into the movie industry.
Seeing an opportunity, Charlotte convinces Chambers to endorse her as a potential presidential candidate. The endorsement sets her on a path toward the White House — and puts her in the same room as Fred, who happens to be at a charity fundraising event where Boyz II Men are performing. Charlotte recognizes Fred immediately, since she was his babysitter. Fred was secretly infatuated with her when they were teenagers, and he storms off after Parker interrupts them, falling down a flight of stairs in front of everyone.
Charlotte reads some of Fred’s columns and decides to hire him as a speechwriter. This decision is met with protests from her chief of staff, Maggie. Fred voices his skepticism of Charlotte’s true commitment to important issues, but takes the job anyway. The arrangement allows the two to spend time together under the pretext of Fred learning more about Charlotte for his writing.
The Summit Speech
The film’s central set piece comes at a world leaders’ summit in Sweden. Charlotte is forced to revise a speech about an environmental campaign to appease industrialists. Fred calls her out on abandoning her morals, threatening to quit then and there if she goes through with the changed speech. Charlotte changes her mind and gives the original speech, which is enthusiastically received.
That scene is where “Long Shot” finds its footing. The film has spent its first hour establishing the characters and their history, and this moment finally delivers on the promise of a romance that matters. Fred’s intervention is a reminder that the personal and the political are not separate — a lesson the movie itself seems to believe.
Chemistry Over Plot
The film’s strength rests entirely on the chemistry between Theron and Rogen. Theron plays Charlotte with a cool competence that makes her believable as a powerful politician. Rogen plays Fred with a chaotic energy that keeps the movie from becoming a standard rom-com. Together, they sell the idea that two people from completely different worlds can find common ground.
The supporting cast is solid. O’Shea Jackson Jr. plays Lance, Fred’s best friend. June Diane Raphael plays Maggie, Charlotte’s chief of staff. Andy Serkis plays Parker Wembley. Bob Odenkirk plays President Chambers. Alexander Skarsgård plays Prime Minister James Steward. Tristan D. Lalla plays Agent M. Braxton Herda plays Young Fred. Aviva Mongillo plays Young Charlotte. Randall Park plays Boss. Nathan Morris, Wanya Morris, Shawn Stockman and Lil Yachty appear as themselves in cameo roles.
Where It Falls Short
The plot is thin. Fred’s career problems and Charlotte’s political ambitions drive the story, but the film spends too much time on setup and not enough on payoff. The middle section drags, with repeated scenes of Fred and Charlotte talking about their feelings and their past. The jokes land inconsistently, and some of them rely on physical comedy that feels dated.
The film also leans heavily on the idea that Fred’s irreverence is a necessary counterweight to Charlotte’s seriousness. That tension works in the summit scene, but it gets tired when repeated across the runtime. The movie wants Fred to be the voice of honesty, but it doesn’t fully explore what that means for a man who has never held power.
A Romantic Comedy With Something to Say
“Long Shot” is a good time at the movies, even when it’s not saying anything new. The film’s tagline — “Unlikely but not impossible” — captures its spirit. It’s a story about two people who shouldn’t work, but do. That simple idea carries the movie through its weaker stretches.
The film’s final stretch, with the summit speech, reminds us why we wanted to be here in the first place. The romance is the engine, and the politics are the fuel. When the two align, the movie takes off.
Key Facts
– Runtime: 125 minutes
– Director: Jonathan Levine
– Writers: Dan Sterling, Liz Hannah
– Stars: Charlize Theron, Seth Rogen, O’Shea Jackson Jr., June Diane Raphael, Andy Serkis, Bob Odenkirk, Alexander Skarsgård
– Budget: $40 million
– Gross: $53.9 million
– World premiere: March 9, 2019, at South by Southwest
– Theatrical release: May 3, 2019, by Lionsgate
Release Schedule
| Event | Date |
|——-|——|
| World premiere | March 9, 2019 |
| Theatrical release | May 3, 2019 |
“Long Shot” isn’t a great movie. It’s a fun one, with a strong lead pairing and a handful of scenes that feel genuinely alive. The film knows what it’s good at — and it spends most of its runtime doing that one thing well.
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