“Going the Distance”




 

 

Wait a minute! Drew Barrymore playing a cub reporter? Looking for love in all the wrong places? Is this a reprise of 1999’s “Never Been Kissed”? (For the record, “NBK” was cute in all the right places—just that the world doesn’t need
a “NBK2.”) And where’s David Arquette?

But no, thankfully, a different movie emerges. Erin (Barrymore) meets Garrett (Justin Long), sparks ignite, and before the third pitcher’s empty, the two discover they’re a perfect match.

Also, for the record, I’m getting rather sick and tired of all these wannabe romcoms where He and She spend 90 minutes trying to connect, missing buses or signals, the audience moaning and groaning at a contrived myriad of botched opportunities up there on the silver screen.

Even the Kleenex classic “Sleepless in Seattle” introduces the main characters a scant 30 seconds before the curtain closes. Is it me, or do too many modern romcoms forgo the romance altogether? Is that first kiss really the most important element of Happily Ever After? Are we Americans so ADD in love, too?

But I digress. Let’s just say it’s nice to see a romantic comedy that actually ignites the heat early, then chucks a few wellplaced snowballs to leave things potentially chilly. Yes, we did have the adorable “(500) Days of Summer” last year That was a nice change of pace. Come to think of it, so’s “Going the Distance.”

Think of this one more like the “(3000) Miles of Erin.”

Because Erin suddenly finds herself employed in San Francisco, and Garrett’s a stubborn New Yorker. After a blissful, six-week courtship, a long distance romance ensues—and such are the trials and tribulations of “Going the Distance.”

Erin earnestly looks for ways to return to Garrett and Manhattan bliss. And Garrett looks for stable employment (he’s in the music biz) in San Francisco. But, of course, if either had found opportunity, the film might have been a 30-minute Fox pilot.

So Erin remains on the left coast, Garrett on the other one, and very quickly those crosscountry red-eye flights begin to get old.

The good news is there’s a real chemistry between Erin and Garrett. (A real chemistry between Drew and Justin, if one is fond of tabloid fodder. But, hey, in a sitcom situation, this can’t hurt.) They are nice people with quaint and quirky oddities—and the few times it looks like Garrett’s going to pull that old macho BS card, director Nanette Burstein pulls in the reins and doubles the cuteness quotient.

So there’s no good guy, no bad guy in “Going the Distance.” There are simply all those frequent flier miles piling up.

The other good news: When “Going the Distance” is funny, it’s very funny. There are some great (albeit risqué) moments at play here. But between these, there’s some weighty angst as well. No, it doesn’t get maudlin, but it comes close once or twice.

And many of the comedic moments seem oddly off their mark, as if the writers tried
for funny and meaningful, then broke for lunch and never really got back into swing.

So while “Going the Distance” is cute, it’s not insanely cute. While it’s poignant, it’s not stake-in-your-heart poignant. Overall, however, it’s a fun movie. Barrymore (looking a tad circa-1990s Brooke Shields here) and Long (looking suitably Justin Longly) do a nice job when the flames are fanned.

Garrett’s N.Y. buddies (Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis) and Erin’s protective sister (Christina Applegate) throw up a nice obstacle course as well.

So if you’re not in the mood for a little “Resident Evil 3-D” these days, I’d say, for the most part, Erin and Garrett nicely manage to go the 2-D distance.

 

 

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