?GOING THE DISTANCE? doesn?t register that far up on the laughs meter. This romantic comedy is more sober than usual and has its feet planted firmly on the ground.
The difference is in the details?while the movie has all the plot points and features you?d expect from your usual run-of-the-mill rom-com, it?s not afraid to deal with the realities of life that even the most head-over-heels couple has to face.
Scripted by Geoff LaTulippe and helmed by Nanette Burstein, the film tries to keep it real and, for the most part, succeeds. This is mostly due to the performances of the film?s two likable leads, Drew Barrymore and Justin Long, who have quite a bit of good, old-fashioned chemistry going for them.
?Silly? things
Whether it?s because they?re real-life romantic partners (on and off) or just good actors is beside the point?what?s important is that it works. Long and Barrymore play off each other with ease and manage to look and sound authentic, even when the script asks them to say and do ?silly? things.
Long is Garrett, a 30-something record producer for a small label in New York who, on the night he breaks up with his girlfriend, meets Erin (Barrymore), a grad student working as a summer intern for a newspaper. They?re both mildly depressed?he because he got dumped and she because, as she puts it, ?I?m 31. I?m an intern. I?m going to get wasted.?
Neither is looking for anything permanent, particularly since Erin is going back to San Francisco to finish grad school in a few weeks? time. But, as a cutesy date montage shows, it only takes a short time for people to fall in love.
Despite having jobs and homes on opposite sides of the continent?New York and San Francisco are almost 3,000 miles apart?Garrett and Erin try to make a go at it. But, being far apart takes its toll, as anyone who?s ever been in a long-distance relationship would know.
Texting and webcams notwithstanding, they get more than a little frayed around the edges, especially since there doesn?t seem to be a solution to their dilemma. As with folks in real life, they have to contend with the high price of airline tickets and the scarcity of jobs in their respective fields (music and print journalism).
Issues
By not ignoring realities, ?Going the Distance? manages to strike truer notes than rom-coms that blithely assume that love will prevail over issues like the global economic recession and the rising cost of fuel.
While the production is to be commended for its honesty, however, there seems to be something a little off with the script?s timing and dialogue, which is sometimes unnecessarily profanity-ridden.
Luckily, Long and Barrymore are pros, as are the actors supporting them. Despite being given parts that seem to come packaged within every rom-com?the supportive best friend/sister, the weird/gross friends, etc.?Christina Applegate (as Erin?s sister) makes her role her own, as do Jason Sudeikis and Charlie Day as Garrett?s oddball friends, Box and Dan.
