Going The Distance – 4*
Long-distance relationships can be hard at the best of times, but when you don’t intend for the inevitable ‘falling in love’ process to happen, they can be a feat of military precision and planning to keep the fire burning. Romcoms have seen their fair share of long-distance amour, from Casablanca to Sleepless in Seattle. But what each one needs to sustain viewing interest is a believable couple right from the word go. Leads Drew Barrymore and Justin Long as fledging lovers Erin and Garrett are just that in the gritty and witty new romcom Going The Distance – well, as you’d expect, considering the stars’ real-life, on-off relationship has sparked as much interest as their on-screen one. Not only are they instantly credible as Erin and Garrett, but also are likeable and endearing that we find ourselves totally rooting for them, surprisingly without question. They both play ‘average, everyday and down-to-earth’ exceptional well, which is possibly their hook, without succumbing to the gloss and idyllic bliss that other romcoms rely on.
American Teen documentary maker and director Nanette Burstein seems comfortable directing this, not making life easy for our enamoured pair, and keen to show each character’s annoying traits and faults, but not to nauseating extreme, hence upping their credibility value further. The result is some moments of madness are actually cringeworthy to watch, as if Erin and Garrett are two of your closest friends making fools of themselves during the course of attaining true love. That’s not to say that Going The Distance doesn’t offer a fairly average plot – we know they are going to get together for the long term, the question is how? That said Going The Distance does have a couple of interesting variations on certain scenarios, where you believe one thing is bound to happen – ‘as it says here on the romcom script’, but are pleasantly proven wrong. The smart laughs are helped by an even smarter and clued-up supporting cast that includes Christina Applegate as Erin’s uptight and neurotic sister Corinne, Charlie Day and Jason Sudeikis as the standard, unlucky-in-love and questionably attractive best pals of Garrett, and Jim Gaffigan as Corinne’s sex-starved, hen-pecked hubby Phil who is greeted with more than he wants of Garrett on their first encounter at his family dining table. This is not to say that Barrymore and Long cannot hold their own in the comedy arena, it just makes for a stronger impact when all factors are firmly in place to deliver the punchlines.
Romcom darling Barrymore finally gets her dream role of quirky, cutesy and ballsy, all rolled into one character, playing aspiring print reporter Erin, ironically making the shrinking world of journalism seem even more desirable to venture into. Barrymore veers into type at times, as we have seen her in Never Been Kissed and 50 First Dates, but just manages to pull Erin clear of many clichés, almost creating a romcom role reversal in parts, with behaviour normally associated with the male lead. Similarly, Long refuses to let record label employee Garrett succumb to dopey guy-in-love, with both characters showing a fighting spirit and retaining their independent side.
The majority of big laughs actually come from Applegate who is the queen of straight-laced gag delivery, whilst often in the midst of an apparent run-of-the-mill domestic situation. She embodies this role completely, but one that is disappointingly underused that you long for more of her on screen. In fact even though Applegate and Barrymore make an excellent sisterhood union on screen, Applegate is guilty of outshining the lead in the majority of scenes they share. The key ingredient of this film is the ad-lib delivery that keeps the status quo alive and fresh, rather than stilted and predictable – that’s not to say that Going The distance doesn’t fall into the latter at times because it does. However, if you like your romcom formula, you not only get what you pay for, but a zesty little extra that really doesn’t make for a bad night out for either sex.
Romcoms, like relationships, are all about chemistry: If it isn’t there from the start, it isn’t going to be there at the end. Couple this chemistry with believable characters and modern-day woes that all can relate to, and you have a successful date movie. It is the likes of Going The Distance and others such as (500) Days of Summer that are opening up the romcom genre to a wider audience and that’s not a bad thing, considering the romcom’s potential comedy spectrum.
4/5 stars
By L G-K
