Politics is a game of appearances and navigating mass appeal, of course, and it's doubly hard for a woman, no matter how beautiful, how solid her policy positions; early focus groups score Charlotte in the 90th percentile, but "if you were a man, you'd be in the '190s," Lisa Kudrow's press manager admits. The key to ensuring her electability? To bring her 'humor' factor up a few points, to make her seem more relatable to the American public. After all, a woman can't just be smart and capable - she has to be one of the guys, as well. On top of that, she has to be fodder for romantic gossip, whether with Fred or the gormless Justin Trudeau-like James Steward (Alexander Skarsgård), with his toothy grin and inoffensive good looks.
Much the same can be said of Theron, an actress who can seemingly do no wrong, offering crackerjack chemistry with Rogen while standing out in her own standalone comic scenes. Rogen's the funnyman of the equation, but even his wisecracks can't hold a candle to a late-film scene where Charlotte has to suddenly negotiate the return of a captured American soldier while rolling Molly hard. Whether she's kicking ass in full-on action pictures, winning Oscars in prestige dramas, or cracking wise with the best of them in comedies like this, Theron is a movie star of indefatigable range. Hell, I'd vote for her.
All of this only scratches the surface of Long Shot's unconventional charms and doesn't even mention the beautiful, scene-stealing presence of O'Shea Jackson Jr. (an actor I've loved since Ingrid Goes West) as Fred's laidback, successful best friend. But that's the appeal of something as warm, easygoing, and unexpectedly political as Long Shot: if you want to see it for the Seth Rogen jokes, have at it. But fully engage with it, and you'll find a lovely romantic comedy about two people struggling to make a relationship work when the fate of the free world (and public opinion) is at stake.
