Going the Distance
Starring: Drew Barrymore, Justin Long, Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis, Christina Applegate, Ron Livingston, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Jim Gaffigan, Natalie Morales, Rob Riggle, Mike Birbiglia
Directed by: Nanette Burstein
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Romance
2010

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A new couple (Drew Barrymore, Justin Long) spend six wonderful weeks together in New York City. When she has to return to San Francisco, they decide to start a long-distance relationship, but soon discover that is much harder than they imagined.

Review:

Tim: Going the Distance is an interesting film- it is a romantic comedy, but it has a very well deserved R rating. I haven't done any research, but I imagine (from personal experience), R-rated romantic comedies are pretty rare. What that means is you get to see Justin Long's naked butt, and people swear almost constantly. Seriously, though, there are some very big benefits to this film having an R rating. The ability of the characters to drop the F-word frequently gives this film a realistic quality to it. This is how real people talk, and the types of things they talk about are oftentimes somewhat unpleasant. I loved that part of the film, as it was not only funny, but true to life.

I really believe romantic comedies need to do something to differeniate themselves. Here's how to describe 95% of all romantic comedies- two people meet, fall in love, something crazy happens that separates them, and they get back together in the end. That is formulaic and can be very boring. Romantic comedies need to change that up- need to give us something unexpected. This film went the route of focusing on long-distance relationships. That hasn't been done to death yet, and it gives this film a unique, fresh appeal. I was very thankful for that- and, that little twist on the normal allows you to forgive this film for its otherwise cliche-filled story.

I thought this movie did a good job of balancing out the more romantic aspects of this film with some legitimately funny moments. The R-rated helped, as the script goes all out with an almost shocking amount of swear words used throughout the film. These created some very funny, memorable moments. I loved that this film set out to be both a successful comedy AND a successful romantic film, not thinking that doing two things half-assed would amount to a full movie. This film wisely succeeded on both levels, and that is a big part of why I enjoyed it.

Drew Barrymore and Justin Long were good choices for the couple because of their on-again-off-again relationship in real life. Barrymore and Long have really good chemistry together, and that helps the film immensely. It also helps that they had good dialogue to work with. I felt like both characters were well rounded, not just one-dimensional. They worked well together, and also worked well with the supporting cast.

Charlie Day and Jason Sudeikis were both good as Long's best friends. These three interacted so well- I really believed they were best friends. That is not always the case in movies, but these three actors worked so effortlessly together that they made you believe they were very close. That was hugely important for this film. I thought Christina Appelgate and Jim Gaffigan made an unlikely couple, but they were so important to the movie. Both gave good supporting roles, and added a good deal to the film. I also liked seeing Ron Livingston and Mike Birbiglia, but their roles were too small.

Going the Distance didn't do anything too extraordinary. It simply gave us very entertaining, funny characters, put them in hilarious and unexpected situations, made sure there were some good jokes, and told a decently heartwarming story. Romantic comedies often fail, but they don't have to. If a film has a spark of originality and is done with care and pride, the movie can succeed. I really enjoyed this movie, and I found it a very refreshing, entertaining experience.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



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