Romantic comedies are having a moment. The beloved genre seemingly disappeared in the last decade as big-budget action stepped to the front. But rom-coms were never going to die out entirely, and after a recent string of Netflix hits—To All the Boys I Loved Before, Set It Up, and The Kissing Booth—it would appear the studios are once again investing in their own easygoing romance films.
Cue the new trailer for Long Shot, a political romantic comedy starring Charlie Theron as Secretary of State Charlotte Field and Seth Rogen as affable journalist Fred Flarsky. The two have nothing in common save one minor detail: Charlotte used to babysit Fred. Now, she’s running for president, and impulsively hires Fred to be her speechwriter. As is inevitable in this sort of movie, sparks fly at the most inconvenient of times.
Theron and Rogen are no strangers to romantic films, although in the past they gravitated towards gruffer comedy, like Theron’s turn in the Diablo Cody-scripted Young Adult or Rogen in his star-making comedy Knocked Up. The trailer for Long Shot paints it as a more traditional studio rom-com, but the two seem more than up for the challenge, and seem to have a nice, comfortable chemistry.
As more and more women throw their name into the 2020 presidential race, there’s also a timeliness to Long Shot that makes it extra exciting. The scene between Theron and her president boss, played by Bob Odenkirk, hint that the film is going to tackle gender issues pretty head-on. Theron has a knack for steely stares and cutting line delivery, so we can’t wait to see what she does with future presidential hopeful Charlotte.
Here’s some posters for our new movie LONG SHOT! In theaters May 3! pic.twitter.com/SGlU87KCYg
— Seth Rogen (@Sethrogen) February 15, 2019
Long Shot arrives in theaters May 3, 2019.
Images: Lionsgate