Going The Distance
One of the first couple-centric comedies in a long time that doesn't emphasise the worst in each gender.
From Oscar-nominated documentary director Nanette Burstein comes a good-natured rom-com that showcases its stars' best talents.
The American Teen and On The Ropes filmmaker makes her feature debut with Geoff LaTulippe's sharp script, bringing us one of the first couple-centric comedies in a long time that doesn't emphasise the worst in each gender. Comparisons have been made with Judd Apatow's work, mainly because of the heavy use of the leads' friends for the humour, but there's a natural sweetness present in Going The Distance, sitting comfortably alongside the risque jokes.
Real-life on-off partners Drew Barrymore and Justin Long are a pair you're rooting for from the moment they hook up in a bar. Despite mature student Erin having to return to San Francisco to complete her degree, she and Garrett continue to see each other, and we fall as madly in love with this adorable couple as they do with each other. So natural are their scenes together, the camera almost feels like a fly on the wall. The scenes with the mates jolt you out of this intrusion, with Jason Sudeikis and Charlie Day a riot as Garrett's crude buddies. On Erin's side is Christina Applegate, showing her superb comic timing as her highly strung sister.
In anyone else's hands, Going The Distance could've been a farcical, frustrating series of clichéd mishaps, but the tedious sounding synopsis of a couple trying to make a long distance relationship work has been transformed into something fresh and genuinely funny, thanks to the considerable amount of improvising by Barrymore and Long. The humour almost feels "British" - many times I watch people getting together in US films, and it feels so far removed from any situation I'm aware of. Here Drew is a beer-drinking party girl, with financial worries and a short fuse - in other words, not an anodyne fantasy creation. Justin's job at a record label gives us a chance to see The Boxer Rebellion as themselves at gigs, a nice touch that is filmed well, giving an extra shot of energy to an already enthusiastic movie.
It works fantastically as both a romance and a comedy, being genuinely moving and witty. The chemistry between Drew and Justin is a joy to behold, and it brings out the best in both of them - Barrymore has never been sweeter or funnier. A heartwarming and outrageously funny look at an everyday couple. Recommended for both men and women - in fact, anyone with a heart or a funny bone.
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