Only in the movies, right? Only there can a drop-dead gorgeous female like Charlize Theron fall for a schlummly, chubby, dressed-like-a-loser kinda guy like Seth Rogan. Am I right? But in this politically-charged rom-com, that’s what you get. Would this happen in real life? Oh, hell no! So sit back and enjoy this fantasy!
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It’s 2019 and the POTUS (Bob Odenkirk) is a former TV star and a complete moron (hmmm…) who secretly wants to be a movie star, not the Prez anymore. That’s great news for his politically savvy Secretary of State, Charlotte Field (Theron). Getting her 2020 Presidential team together, she finds out that she needs an ace writer to ‘punch up’ her speeches with comedy, something the polls show she’s lacking in the eyes of the people.
Enter NYC gonzo journalist Fred Flarsky (Rogan), who is not only an outspoken crusader for the masses, but also friends with a high-powered exec (O’Shea Jackson, jr) who gets him into a swanky party after Fred gets fired. Faster than you can say, “plot device”, Fred meets Charlotte (Charlotte used to babysit Fred!) and badda-bing, badda-boom, Fred gets a new job helping Charlotte with her campaign of helping the environment and healing the planet. But Fred is skeptical of his former sitter and, even though she IS sincere, Charlotte is forced to compromise her values by her acerbic manager, Maggie (June Diane Raphael), for the sake of appeasing the constituents.
When Fred objects and calls her out on abandoning her morals, she changes her mind and the speech is a success. Soon they get close and become “an item”, but Maggie warns them both that the public will never accept them as a couple. Seriously, would you? And right on cue is the second act break up that leads to the inevitable third act reconciliation, but this one is laced with a weird, wild hostage crisis, webcams, and masturbation. Wait, is this a Judd Apatow movie? No? Huh, ya fooled me. The ending is exactly as it should be; silly, ridiculous, and something that happens only in the movies. *sigh*
Dan Sterling (The Interview, South Park TV series) and Liz Hannah (The Post) have written the basics. A basic rom-com with basic situations, characters, and a basic plot that goes from A to B to C. The screenplay is simple, clean, and lightweight, but it’s slow-paced and dissolves into an odd third act that feels rushed and like it’s part of another movie entirely. Thank goodness you have the witty banter and sheer chemistry between Rogan and Theron that makes this movie watchable. You stick anybody else into those roles and this movie would have died a slow, painful death.
Then you have director Jonathan Levine, who has directed Rogan in 50/50 and The Night Before, and he did the outrageous comedy, Mike & Dave Need Wedding Dates. It’s a wonder why the action and comedy didn’t jump higher and fly faster in this movie. If you’ve seen his other comedies, you’ll know his style of crazy, absurd, and wacky comedy that’s sadly lacking here. Sure, there are brief, fleeting moments here and there, but not enough to sustain this film throughout the 2hr running time. Although, I gotta admit, some of the best stuff seems to be where Theron and Rogan are just ad-libbing together. That part works like magic.
