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Parents' Guide to

Long Shot

By Joyce Slaton, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Mature but easygoing comedy has drugs, language.

Movie R 2019 125 minutes
Long Shot Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 16+

Based on 9 parent reviews

Mom of 3 Girlz
Mom of 3 Girlz Parent of 11, 14 and 16-year-old
January 5, 2020
age 18+

Fun and inappropriate

Agree with the reviews, this movie has a lot that you wouldn’t want to see with your kids. It was sweet, funny, and entertaining but definitely not realistic. It reversed a lot of gender stereotypes typically seen in movies and that was refreshing.

This title has:

Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
K in cali
K in cali Parent
July 21, 2019
age 16+

F bombs galore, but otherwise funny

There a ridiculous number of unnecessary “f” bombs in this movie.. advice to the writers- so many gets monotonous and ineffective. Premise is funny, characters are solid. Like seeing a woman president! Well acted. Yes, some scenes are more mature. Subject matter would not even be interesting to children under 15.

This title has:

Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
See all 9 parent reviews

What's the Story?

LONG SHOT stars Charlize Theron as U.S. Secretary of State Charlotte Field, who's thrilled to learn that the current president (Bob Odenkirk) isn't running for another term, clearing the way for her presidential campaign. According to Charlotte's poll numbers, the American public sees her as charismatic and elegant but not very funny. A chance meeting with Fred Flarsky (Seth Rogen), the alternative newspaper journalist who she used to babysit when she was a teenager, convinces Charlotte that this man is the answer, and she hires him as her speechwriter. As the two travel all over the world together, it seems that more is brewing than a few good speeches. Will America still pull the lever for Charlotte with Flarsky as potential First Husband?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (9 ):
Kids say (5 ):

It's easygoing, studded with genuine-belly-laugh jokes, and has a great cast, but this political romcom loses points for being both utterly predictable and outrageously unrealistic. Rogen, playing a riff on the unsuitable-boyfriend-who-gets-the-hot-girl-anyway character that made him a movie star years ago in Knocked Up, is as charming as ever. And he has real chemistry with Theron, who's as loose and relaxed as she's ever been on-screen. Scenes in which their characters are sparring, flirting, or doing both at the same time are priceless, particularly during one riotous scene in which Madame Secretary and Fred score drugs in a club immediately before Charlotte has to manage an international crisis. It turns out that Molly is an excellent prelude to hostage negotiations, even if Charlotte is conducting them in Fred's teal windbreaker with glitter and sequins falling out of her hair.

But viewers will know where this comedy is headed the moment that Fred catches his ex-babysitter's eye at a party they're both improbably attending. He's a big mess, while she looks like she has it all together at first glance -- but of course, her glossy exterior hides her inner chaos and loneliness. He draws her out and makes her laugh, she makes him respectable ... or does she? The great gaffe this movie makes is asking us to buy that when Charlotte gets over her reservations about dating a schlubby pothead raving liberal alterna-journalist, the American public is enthusiastically willing to embrace the couple. In a world in which political candidates, particularly female ones, are subjected to the most withering scrutiny, would Fred Flarsky's "F" word-laden journalistic output really fly? Unfortunately, for most viewers, this idea will be a bridge too far, and the film doesn't treat this notion satirically or ironically. In the end, the whole enterprise smacks of dude wish fulfillment -- and since viewers have seen this particular average-guy-gets-hot-girl fantasy enacted repeatedly on screens both large and small, it really does a number on the funny.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about Long Shot's premise. How do you think the American public would react to a presidential candidate who was dating? What about one who was dating someone like Fred Flarsky?

  • How does the movie portray drinking and drug use? Are there any real-life consequences? Are the scenes of drinking and drug use glamorized, heightened for comedic purposes, or realistic?

  • How would you characterize the movie's treatment of politics? Does it seem like this is how politics really play out in life? Would a female presidential candidate really be subject to this level of interest and scrutiny?

  • What does Fred's hacked-webcam situation say about the nature of online fame and the need for privacy?

  • Have you seen other movies that center on the "hot girl loves average guy" scenario? How do you feel about that setup? Why do you think it's rarely, if ever, gender-flipped?

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