Long Shot (2019)

I love romantic comedies, though, most of them suck. Yes, there's been less and less memorable ones out there. This is of course excluding last years Crazy Rich Asians, which was a total pleasure, but in a different way, as it was one of the first romantic comedies out there with a predominantly Asian American cast (recently Always be my Maybe came out on Netflix ALSO). Romantic comedies usually become low budget affairs, or Hallmark movies where one is a ghost living in a house and the lead female is trying to sell said house.

Yes, it's not a good market in general.

I'd heard of Long Shot a while back, and was hopeful, the buzz was good, and all in all, the critics I admire boasted about it being one of the funniest rom-coms they'd seen in a long time.

They weren't wrong!

The unlikely pairing of Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron feels so very natural, and earnest and sweet. Besides the fact that the film is really fucking funny. Theron plays Charlotte Field who's the Secretary of State who after hearing from the President that he'll not be seeking re-election starts gunning for the presidency - in a perfect and better world, of course. She cares about the environment, she's honest and strong, but the polls are not in her favor. After all, she's a woman, and she's not seen as soft or particularly funny.

While Rogen plays Fred Flarsky who's a journalist and also has the best character introductions in a rom-com ever - anyway - he's just quit his job in defiance. The pair wind up meeting at a party where Charlotte remembers Fred, but can't place him. Fred does remember her, as she used to be his babysitter. Of course, Charlotte also needs someone to touch up her speeches and put in some jokes. Unsurprisingly Fred winds up being the candidate that Charlotte picks, and he begins to join her while she tours the world to get countries on board her environmental plan.

We all fall in love with Charlotte as Fred does, besides the way they're together. From the soundtrack to the supporting characters - it's just a great rom-com that hopefully will be remembered in the future. It also is packed with recognizable faces, some less, yet you'll probably manage to pick him out anyway. But it's a delight and not a waste of time. Here's to it becoming a rom-com to remember!

10/10