Going the Distance (2010)

A poor man’s Judd Apatow comedy, but still a good one.

New couple Erin (Drew Barrymore) and Garrett (Justin Long) don’t want their summer fling to end, but Erin must move across the country to finish school. As the bicoastal lovers try to keep their relationship going, they experience the tricky challenges of living long-distance.

This is one of those feel good films that is pretty self-explanatory: you know the general plot before you go in so there are no surprises as to what the film is about or how it will end. However, it’s not such a bad trip in between the beginning and the end.

The reason this film works is because is it’s very well-written. The comedy surprisingly works great for this type of material because at the center of this little romantic storyline going on, the raunchy material holds it out with a great balance. I found myself with a lot of belly laughs here and surprisingly a lot of insight as well.

I have never been in a long-distance relationship but from what it seems like, it’s hard and this film shows how hard it is in every way. From the non-stop texting, to the temptation, late night calls, dates on Skype, and finding any way possible to pleasure the other person are all what happens in a long-distance relationship and this film shows it in a sort of 21st century way. There was some honest truth to a lot of what was being said in this film too where these two have problems actually coping with the fact that they may not always be together and like each other the whole time which made me feel like I was listening to actual conversations and not just another crappy rom-com.

However, the problem with this film I felt was the fact that it kind of gets really dry right in the middle where very little laughs actually happen, and we are forced to focus on the fact that these two are having “problems”. It still had some insight but for this brief moment of about 30 minutes, it was what we always see in every rom-com which kind of disappointed me in a way. There were also many times where this film would bring something up but never expand on it such as temptation for both sides and I thought they ere going to start talking about it, but never really went with it fully and seem kind of strange.

Drew Barrymore is lovely and a really smart leading lady because she makes a character that you really like, and you wanna see her and her relationship succeed. She also drinks, smokes, curses, and bangs a lot during this film and I have to say that it showed me an edgier side of her that I liked and a side she pulled 0ff very well. Justin Long a good fit here because he’s kind of a goofball at times, but still has that underlining scent of sincerity to him that makes him very likable. It has been said about plenty of actual real-life couples don’t actually click well together on-screen, but whatever these two got going on in real-life translates well into their work together. Christina Applegate plays the protective older sister, Corrine, and is a comedic pro who can do stuck-up without seeming stuck-up. Let’s not also forget Jim Gaffigan as her hubby who always makes me laugh. Jason Sudeikis and Charlie Day play Long’s buddies, Box and Dan, who are the two neighbor/buddy characters that are straight out of a sitcom, but a funny sitcom and I found myself laughing my ass off at them the most.

Consensus: Going the Distance gets a little dry in the middle, but is still very funny with a lot of cuteness as well as a hint of insight, however the raunchy comedy and the amazing cast had me laughing the most and is what makes this better than your average romantic comedy.

7.5/10=Rental!!