“If you look at Frank Capra, if you look at Billy Wilder, if you look at [Ernst] Lubitsch for example, these were the type of movies I was going back to, to look at tone,” explains “Long Shot” director Jonathan Levine during our conversation about his latest romantic comedy starring Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron.
“If you look at “To Be or Not to Be,” the Lubitsch movie, which is like set against the backdrop of World War II, they don’t waste a lot of time complaining about Hitler,” the filmmaker added. “He is something that exists, and as such, there’s enough real estate to calibrate a tone that is sweet and funny, and yet also has some teeth.”
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Perhaps this is the biggest reason why Levine’s latest effort has such wide appeal and feels far more unique than the current string of Trumpian political comedies. “Long Shot” doesn’t harp on the obvious and instead, uses the environment of today’s political climate to tap into the hearts and minds of people. As a lover of romantic movies, Levine knew the key ingredient to the success of “Long Shot” was cultivating a genuine romance between Theron and Rogen even stating that their main rule was to “lead with heart, lead with romance and let the characters…sort of guide us” to which Frank and Charlotte excel at to the fullest.
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“Long Shot” follows investigative journalist Fred Flarsky (Rogen) as he runs into his former babysitter Charlotte Field (Theron) at a party who just happens to be one of the most powerful women in the world – the Secretary of State vying for a run at the presidency in the next election cycle. After Charlotte impulsively hires Fred as her new speechwriter, the two soon see some old and unexpected feelings resurface.
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The “The Night Before” filmmaker is no stranger to riding a fine genre-bending line inherently challenging himself by making such films as a zombie romance with “Warm Bodies,” a cancer comedy with “50/50,” and now a heartfelt political rom-com. Like the great filmmakers who inspired him, Levine seems to genuinely comprehend the heart of human relationships, understanding that those relationships are what drives the story with each backdrop serving as texture. Perhaps it’s Levine’s romantic outlook on life that allows him to inhabit such a sincere mindset stating, “I am kind of a romantic, and so I think just in my DNA I just bring that to the table… I was just in love with the idea of showing these two people falling in love, and I just love the music you can use and the way the world looks when you’re falling in love and all this stuff.”
During our conversation, Levine not only enlightened me on this delicate process, but discussed the degree of improvisation on set, the origin of “Long Shot’’s” most quotable jokes, his working relationship with Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron, why Fred wears an absurd ‘80s windbreaker, how Boyz II Men got involved and much more.
You can listen to the entirety of my 40-minute interview with Jonathan Levine below along with my full review of “Long Shot.” “Long Shot” opens in theaters Friday, May 3rd.