Seth Rogen wants you to know he’s woke.
In “Long Shot,” his most recent comedy, he plays a white supremacist-fighting, big business-hating, foul-mouthed idealist who hates Republicans almost as much as he hates ExxonMobil.
Rogen must be thrilled to have been able to play a character so close to his own nature on the big screen, but it’s too bad it involved subjecting moviegoers to the half-woke, semi-sleepy mishmash that “Long Shot” turns out to be.
The film follows Fred Flarsky (Rogen) as he pursues Secretary of State Charlotte Field (Charlize Theron), a woman as out of his league as she is out of place in this movie. Theron seems like the only one who knows she’s acting, as Rogen stumbles about with all the loserness and none of the appeal of his similarly schlubby character in “Knocked Up.” Field is traveling the world in the primary stage of her bid to be the first female president, and as her speechwriter, Flarsky can’t even be bothered to buy a new jacket.
The film asks its audience to forgive its unlikely premise — that a beautiful, powerful woman would fall in love with a windbreaker-wearing, druggie journalist just because he’s so principled. But it offers moviegoers no reason to be so forgiving.
Flarsky’s principles, which led him to quit his last job after his publication is purchased by a media tycoon, also convince him that you’re not allowed to make compromises, ever, even if you work in politics. This becomes the main conflict between him and Field, who knows how to give and take while playing the political game.
Flarsky has to accept that there are competing interests in the world, and some of those on the “other side” are almost valid. So the film’s conflict resolution begins, weirdly, when Flarsky realizes his best friend is a Republican.
In a world-shattering revelation, Flarsky’s friend reveals that he loves “the GOP” and “the G-O-D,” but he never told Flarsky because he was afraid of being shunned. This scenario can occur on either side of the political spectrum in a real friendship, but in “Long Shot,” it feels like a cheap call for unity so the film can rectify a rift between its liberal characters.
Instead of investing any energy in the chemistry between its two leads, “Long Shot” spends two hours trying to convince audiences that Rogen’s Flarsky is a lovable male feminist. By the end, it’s still a mystery why Field falls for Flarsky. Being woke, unfortunately, maketh not the man.
It’s no wonder that “Long Shot” was one of Rogen’s lowest-grossing films. He replays many of the crass rom-com tropes of his past films while overlaying a thin political narrative because, hey, it’s 2019. The moral of “Long Shot” ends up being that you have to make compromises for those you love, especially if you’re a man. Then you take your eventual wife’s last name and give up your career to support her.
Somehow Flarsky’s happy ending is supposed to show a positive character arc, but all it really says is that it’s OK to be a listless male as long as you celebrate your partner’s accomplishments. The film was originally called “Flarsky,” which would’ve been a more fitting title since “Long Shot” feels a lot like its protagonist. Together, the film and its lead embody complacency, suggesting that a man doesn’t have to put in any effort if he can just prove he’s woke.
