Cinema Review: Going the Distance

Real life ex-couple Drew Barrymore and Justin Long pair up to enlighten 2010's romcom genre, with all intentions of raising it out of the slum the countless dreary excuses throughout the year have buried it in.

Recently dumped man's man Garrett (Long) bumps into newspaper intern and waitress Erin (Barrymore), leading to a night of drunken fun and setting off a six week city romance. Sadly, Erin must return to San Francisco, but attempts to maintain the strong connection with Garrett, testing both of their ideas towards long distance relationships.

First and foremost when dealing with a romantic comedy, the almighty weight that enables audiences to fully invest in the characters and the romance in which they fall so heavenly involved with is laid upon the shoulders of its stars. In this case, Going the Distance couldn't be more pitch perfect. With a clear connection, Barrymore maintains her adorable, zealous personality with a surprising raunchy spin, with Long proving charming and a predictable Knight in Shining Armor. Together, they act like two peas in a sweet, never sour, pod; genuinely delightful to watch, a power couple if you will that transcends into something entirely relatable. Inevitably, their emotions on-screen may have slight reflection on real life events, therefore making the outcome all the more heartfelt.

Geoff LaTulippe's script fuses a modern, understandable and often moving story with an adult comedy, channeling that of a Judd Apatow screenplay that utilizes the same dirty, explosively funny one liners. His story of the trials and tribulations involved with long distance relationships is universal; this is what relationships can be like. With the supporting characters -- the typical in-your-face, crude best friend(s) -- often straying into the hard to believe, the principle story is believable and grounded enough to succumb to, demonstrating that the simple affection between two lovers may not just be enough.

Under American Teen director Nanette Burstein's supervision, Going the Distance proves a little -- hell, a lot -- more successful than any other romcom this year, falling into the catagory that last year's (500) Days of Summer secured itself in. Barrymore and Long's flourishing, refreshingly R-rated, romance is bliss; enticing and entertaining enough without falling saccharine. With the bewitching sound of The Boxer Rebellion backing their romance, it's simply too hard not to drop to your knees.

4/5