Long Shot (2019)
Directed by Jonathan Levine
Journalist Fred Flarsky reunites with his childhood crush, Charlotte Field, now one of the most influential women in the world. As she prepares to make a run for the Presidency, Charlotte hires Fred as her speechwriter — much to the dismay of her trusted advisers.
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5 films that influenced Long Shot
What critics say influenced Long Shot
The studios were bound to catch my attention with a romcom that’s a reversed Pretty Woman, with a splash of There’s Something About Mary, and a twist of Dave.
Long Shot references Pretty Woman, but the Julia Roberts movie it most resembles is Notting Hill, in which a nobody (Hugh Grant) finds himself in a relationship with the world’s most famous movie star.
Luckily, Long Shot uses the odd coupling of Charlize Theron and Seth Rogen to its absolute advantage in a Veep meets Pretty Woman style romantic comedy that is sure to stand the test of time.
Take The American President, Notting Hill, and Pretty Woman and put them into a blender with some modern political subtext, copious amounts of illegal substances, and a handful of jokes about unfortunately timed erections and you’ll get Jonathan Levine’s Long Shot, a film that’s far more charming, sweet, and hilarious than I probably just made it sound.
This puts him in an unwillingly “feminised” position, comparing himself to Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman and Marilyn Monroe with JFK.
When Fred and Charlotte share a dance to Roxette’s “It Must Have Been Love,” it’s a throwback to how significant that tune was in another movie— Pretty Woman —about two other people from wildly different worlds coming together and falling, improbably, in love against the odds.
“We’ll talk about it next with Chris Brown, Jeremy Piven, and Brett Ratner”), but the issue of what she does with her personal life (which was addressed somewhat more seriously in Rob Reiner’s The American President) is undermined by Fred’s often crude behavior.
Watching Long Shot brought back memories of a favourite romantic comedy from the 1990s – Rob Reiner’s The American President.
He’s not wrong, and “Long Shot” is best described as an unholy cocktail of “The American President” (1995), “There’s Something About Mary” (1998), and “Splash” (1984).
“Long Shot” is not original – it has dashes of “Notting Hill” and “The American President” with updated pop culture references – but it’s propelled by some excellent jokes and a supremely talented cast.
At times it might remind you of a slightly edgier version of the genteel White House romances that flourished in the mid-’90s, like “Dave” and “The American President.”
Take the “slob gets dream girl” framework of Notting Hill, add lashings of political satire, power dynamics, and a Boys II Men-heavy soundtrack, and you’ve got Long Shot – an often hilarious, occasionally uncomfortable rom-com for the liberal stoner crowd.
Whether you realize it or not, “Long Shot” is “Notting Hill” re-imagined.
Long Shot references Pretty Woman, but the Julia Roberts movie it most resembles is Notting Hill, in which a nobody (Hugh Grant) finds himself in a relationship with the world’s most famous movie star.
Take The American President, Notting Hill, and Pretty Woman and put them into a blender with some modern political subtext, copious amounts of illegal substances, and a handful of jokes about unfortunately timed erections and you’ll get Jonathan Levine’s Long Shot, a film that’s far more charming, sweet, and hilarious than I probably just made it sound.
“Long Shot” is not original – it has dashes of “Notting Hill” and “The American President” with updated pop culture references – but it’s propelled by some excellent jokes and a supremely talented cast.
This year he’s back with revenge, bringing not one but two films, the R-rated comedy starring 11-year-olds Good Boys, and Long Shot, a romantic comedy that’s a cross between Notting Hill and Veep.
Whether it’s Bill Murray wowing Sigourney Weaver in Ghostbusters or Jason Segel ending up with Mila Kunis in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, the schlub always gets the girl in Hollywood.
Show Caption Hide Caption Charlize Theron on her favorite rom-coms and making 'Long Shot' Charlize Theron dishes on her fave rom-com "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" and starring with Seth Rogan in "Long Shot."
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“Pretty Woman,” “How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days” and “Love Actually” were replaced with films like “Failure To Launch,” “Knocked Up,” and “Good Luck Chuck,” — films that featured man-child protagonists who land beautiful, careerist women for no clear reason.