Long Shot

If Charlize Theron and Seth Rogen seem an improbable couple on paper, Long Shot cranks that unlikeliness all the way up to 11. Theron stars as the astonishingly glamorous US Secretary of State, while Rogen is an angrily unemployed investigative journalist sporting a tatty windbreaker. The pair, who grew up as neighbours, are reunited when she hires him as her scriptwriter in preparation for a presidential run. Fulsomely funny with a loose, improvisational vibe, Jonathan Levine's romantic comedy combines belly laughs with incisive satire to poke fun at the asinine and misogynistic nature of modern politics. Rogen is adorable as a well-intentioned curmudgeon new to the political scene and incensed by its absence of integrity. Theron brings dramatic clout as well as ample comic chops to her role as a lonely workaholic, snagging the film's highlight as she deals with a hostage crisis while under the influence. Best of all, the love story is played with the utmost sincerity, as a fairy-tale romance starts to seem like the real deal.