Long Shot

Anytime during the first 240 years of our country’s history, Long Shot would have seemed as ridiculous as a reality TV star in the White House.

Yet in today’s political climate, this frequently amusing romantic comedy finds the right balance between sharp-tongued cynicism and self-deprecating charm, defying the odds with an antiquated notion that virtuous politicians can somehow also be popular and effective.

Neverthetless, significant suspension of disbelief is key to enjoying this wish-fulfillment fantasy about Fred (Seth Rogen), an idealistic reporter whose alt-weekly publication in New York is bought by a right-wing media conglomerate. So he quits.

The unkempt and suddenly unemployed Fred is lured to a big-shot party by his best friend (O’Shea Jackson) with the promise of free booze and a Boyz II Men concert. It also features an appearance by Charlotte (Charlize Theron), the glamorous U.S. Secretary of State who also used to be Fred’s babysitter back in the day.

Their awkward reconnection leads to an unlikely job offer — for Fred to become Charlotte’s top speechwriter as she prepares a presidential bid. Fred tries to act on his childhood crush, and she miraculously reciprocates.

As they pursue a relationship behind the scenes, just as Charlotte unveils a major global climate initiative, her aides warn of the optics. She understands she must make a decision: “I shared an elevator with Saddam Hussein once — just me and Saddam. And this is way scarier.”

As directed by frequent Rogen collaborator Jonathan Levine (The Night Before), the film shrewdly navigates the convergence of fame and politics as its backdrop, during an age when social-media image and partisan posturing are often more important than genuine issues and constituent needs.

Rogen and Theron have an awkward chemistry, although that’s the point, to create a central relationship so exaggerated and disconnected that it causes a recalibration of our feelings toward romantic acceptance and celebrity privacy.

This is the type of movie that’s so aggressively crude that a sequence in which Charlotte enters into a hostage negotiation with a foreign dictator while high on molly is almost predictable. However, the screenplay has a sweetness amid the satire.

It leans politically to the left, with some expected gags about pop culture and the current administration that will have a short shelf life. Yet most of the barbs are good-natured, making Long Shot a crowd-pleaser than should win bipartisan support.

Rated R, 124 minutes.