Went to see this on Easter Monday with my husband at Leeds/Bradford Odeon.
IMDB says: When Fred Flarsky reunites with his first crush, one of the most influential women in the world, Charlotte Field, he charms her. As she prepares to make a run for the Presidency, Charlotte hires Fred as her speechwriter and sparks fly.
In this comedy/romance directed by Jonathan Levine (Snatched, 50/50) and written by Dan Sterling (Girls, The Sarah Silverman Program) and Liz Hannah (The Post, All the Bright Places), Charlize Theron (Atomic Blonde, That Thing You Do!) stars as Charlotte Field and Seth Rogen (Knocked Up, Pineapple Express) as her speechwriter Fred Flarsky.
When journalist Fred gets fired/quits his job, his friend Lance (O'Shea Jackson: Straight Outta Compton, Den of Thieves) tries to cheer him up by taking him to a party where his favourite band Boys II Men are playing. Also at the party is Fred's former babysitter and first crush Charlotte, who is now the Secretary of State.
After reconnecting, Fred embarasses himself by flipping out at the man who took over the media company he just quit, multi-millionaire businessman Parker Wembley (Andy Serkis: Black Panther, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) ensuring that everyone remembers who he is.
Having secured backing from outgoing President Chambers (Bob Odenkirk: TVs Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul) who plans to step down to persue his dream of moving from TV to film, she hires Fred to be her speechwriter, much to the chagrin of her team Maggie Milikin (June Diane Raphael: Unfinished Business, Forgetting Sarah Marshall) and Tom (Ravi Patel: Transformers, Meet the Patels).
A fish out of water, Fred struggles to fit in to the glamourous lifestyle, including State dinners, but he begins to hope that there might be a future for he and Charlotte as a couple. But does he stand a chance when the handsome and powerful Prime Minister of Canada James Stewart (Alexander Skarsgård: TVs True Blood and Big Little Lies) is also a potential suitor?
The humour is constant throughout and the acting is fantastic, even with some of the smaller roles, for example Lisa Kudrow (Friends, Easy A) as adviser Katherine and Randall Park (Ant-Man and The Wasp, Aquaman) as Fred's boss.
There are plenty of nods to films that appear to have influenced it, Pretty Woman (Roxette's song It Must Have Been Love is used prominantly), Something About Mary and even Notting Hill, but this does not take away from an enjoyable movie.
With drug use and references to racism and politics this is a nuanced yet spot-on romcom. Yes, Rogen and Theron are an unlikely couple and there are clear allegories to be had between the characters and Trump, Clinton and Trudeau, but the film is still shot through with a heavy dose of insane idealism mirroring sad realism, for example, the film seems to tell us that we are as likely to have politicians who want to save the planet as this couple are likely to get and stay together.
The mix of corrupt politicians and the innocent nature of their relationship works well and some of the best humour is found in the satire, yet heart found in the development of their relationship when they try to find a bit of normalcy in the crazy, fake world of politics.
Trivia: This is the fifth collaboration between Rogen and Park. Theron, Rogen and Odenkirk all appeared in different seasons of Arrested Development and a reference is made to Black Panther, a movie that Serkis stars in.
Tagline: Unlikely but not impossible: 7.5/10
#LongShot #SethRogen #CharlizeTheron #film #movie #Odeon
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