Long Shot

Lionsgate

              Political satire that tries to evade commenting on our current hellish conditions feels sinister at worst and mealy-mouthed at best. Via a screenplay original written by Dan Sterling, and reworked by Liz Hannah, we see our current times through the eyes of political players that have not been relevant since 2012, and are as about as appetizing. Still, the film lightly prods at universal truths: women have to be perfect if they want to be seen as electable, special interests have a decided vote in our elections, and concessions are often a part of negotiating international treaties. For a film trying to play coy about our current predicament, that’s a pretty impressive accomplishment. Of course, this entire framework is rendered unimportant when you look at the lens through which this story is told: male excellence.

            Though it tries its best, this Jonathan Levine helmed romantic comedy about female empowerment is largely shown through Seth Rogen’s character’s eyes. The original script was entitled Flarsky, which is the name of Rogen’s character, and a clear indication of who were supposed to be rooting for. There’s nothing wrong with posing a story about an unlikely love story in the political arena, but at the same time you cannot both be a film about a woman braving the odds to become the first female president and have her make concessions for a romance with someone who doesn’t have to change anything major about himself to earn that love. Theron plays the secretary of state, a role that has global implications, and though she feels her morality ebbing with the prospect of a presidential run, she is still a character who has earned distinction. Rogen’s character arc mainly constitutes him realizing that not all conservatives are the devil, an epiphany that puts us at odds with the villains of the film and our basic reality in this county. Making nice with the GOP, an organization that has put party above country for years is not my idea of character development.

            Charlize Theron and Seth Rogen are quite funny, and there are some seriously entertaining gags, set pieces, and repeating jokes that I think worked especially well. Their chemistry could be described as middling, though there are some touching moments that truly hit home (Not that sex scene though. No woman finishes twelve seconds in with no foreplay). Of course the ending flaunts the idea that making concessions for love is always a good idea and being your best self is the only way to live. While I loved the plotline taking down a Rupert Murdoch caricature (Andy Serkis), I would have rather it been the main point of the story, and not whether Flarsky was likable enough to be a presidential candidate’s boyfriend.

We are living in an upside down world where a megalomaniac reality star flaps his gums every day to zero consequence, but I’m supposed to believe in a reality where decorum is a factor in future elections. Even with the fact that female candidates still get shit on repeatedly (look at Elizabeth Warren, who should be the frontrunner in every poll) you cannot seriously make me believe that anyone would care about this supposed controversy in our day and age. Maybe I’m jaded or numb, but if you want to go down this road you better have something better for me than “man wins over woman out of his league. Crazy right?”