Going the Distance Synopsis: A romantic comedy centered on a guy and a gal who try to keep their love alive as they shuttle back and forth between New York and San Francisco to see one another.
Going the Distance introduces us to Garrett (Justin Long), a guy who has trouble committing. After getting dumped by his girlfriend after failing to get her a birthday gift, he goes out to a bar with his roommate Dan (Charlie Day) and their friend Box (Jason Sudeikis). There, he meets Erin (Drew Barrymore), a struggling journalist in New York who is working as an intern at the New York Sentinel for the summer. The two hit it off and begin a whirlwind romance despite Erin having only six weeks left in the city before her internship ends and she has to fly back to San Francisco.
Rather than just leaving their time together as a fling, deeper feelings develop, and Erin and Garrett decide to try their relationship long-distance until Erin can find a job in New York or Garrett can find employment in California. Along the way, there are plenty of obstacles, and as the months pass, Erin and Garrett need to decide if their relationship is worth giving up on their dreams of being together.
It’s really no surprise that Long and Barrymore have some pretty engaging chemistry on screen, given their history as a couple in real life, especially during the filming of this movie. Going the Distance is a pretty realistic view of how challenging long-distance relationships can be regarding physical and emotional distance. Add in a three-hour time difference and temptations from other people, not to mention well-intentioned advice from friends and family, and it’s bound to strain even the strongest relationships.
Barrymore is her usual charming self, and while Erin toes the line of the ‘Cool Girl’ trope, she never dives completely in, which keeps her on a relatable level. Long doesn’t do anything overly special in this movie. I feel like I’ve seen his character several times before, but he and Barrymore seem to connect in a way that makes Garrett a tolerable leading man.
At the heart of Going the Distance is the romance between Garrett and Erin, but the supporting characters provide most of the laughs. Day and Sudeikis do what they do best and have some of the funniest scenes in the movie. As Erin’s sister, Christina Applegate is more subtle than Day and Sudeikis but still adds some salty, biting humor to the film. Together, they balance the more sentimental aspects of the script, and this is raunchy humor done right.
Going the Distance keeps you invested in the movie’s core relationship, thanks to the strong chemistry between Long and Barrymore and a smart script that elevates the film beyond your basic, fluffy rom-com.
Watched: 03/30/2020
Notable Song: If You Run by the Boxer Rebellion
