Amore a mille... miglia

Just watched this romantic comedy starring sometime off-screen couple Drew Barrymore and Justin Long. She's an aspiring reporter and he's a record company executive who's forced to guide crappy musical acts for his label. They're forced into a long distance relationship due to unforeseen circumstances. That's all I'll say of the story and just say that this was quite both a ribaldry hilarious and honestly touching movie that seem to ring true most of the time. With fine supporting turns from Jim Gaffigan, Jason Sudeikis, and Christina Applegate, not to mention the leads, I highly recommend Going the Distance. P.S. Nice use of some classic '80s songs like Berlin's "Take My Breath Away" or Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes' "I've Had the Time of My Life".

This is one of the most real AND funny Rom/Com's that have come out of this stale city in quite some time. Often when one of these movies come out, hordes of women beg their beau's to come to the cinema to no avail. luckily for us, this is a fresh new look at an otherwise female driven genre.

Going the Distance takes a look at long distance relationships from a REAL perspective. None of this Hollywood glitz. None of these fairy tale endings w/ friends who say and do what the producers hope the audience want to hear. It's like your watching a docu-drama about funny people. This movie showcases events how they would actually happen. People how they'd actually talk and relationships as unpredictable as they actually are.

Another refreshing notion is how this movie is told, in the majority, from the male's perspective. Not entirely, but enough. It's told from a place where humor, booze and late night / post weekend b*tch sessions w/ close friends and/or relatives help weave together a romantic story in a funny way. It's just how life happens!

I've seen this movie and can contest that it is the perfect concoction of humor, fun, romantic moments and hard R moments to make it a good fit for most couples. And guys, this will be a great way to go see a Romantic Comedy for your girl and get something out of it for yourself. GIVE IT A CHANCE, AND YOU'LL BE TELLING OTHERS TO DO THE SAME.

This film is about a couple surviving the hardships of a long distance relationship.

"Going the Distance" maybe a realistic look at the hardships of a long distance relationship. It tells the pains of a long distance relationship in much detail, such as trust issues, unclear future prospects of being together physically, and whether to pursue love at the expense of career due to relocation. Maybe "Going the Distance" is just too realistic, that I find it rather plain. It has comedic moments but it lacks the certain charm and fun that I expect of a romantic comedy. Out of all the characters, I like Christina Applegate's critical housewife the most. At least she stands out and is memorable. The rest of the film is unfortunately forgettable and plain.

Just been to see this film before its official release and really, really enjoyed it. As the trailer suggests it's about a long distance relationship. The storyline is pretty straightforward. It's not the type of film that will have lots of complicated twists and turns, so in that context it's fairly predictable, but it's really well acted by the main characters, particularly Justin Long, Drew Barrymore and Christin Applegate. There are lots of laughs, and I mean laughing out loud, from both the men and the women in the audience. For me it's one of the funniest films I've seen that wasn't an out and out comedy. As the title of this review suggests, there's something for both men and women in this.

Erin (Drew Barrymore) is getting a late start on her dreams. At 31, she's finally finishing college with an internship at a New York newspaper. With just six weeks to go before returning to San Francisco to complete her education, she meets Garrett (Justin Long) over a classic game of Centipede.

With similar quirky senses of humor and more than a little disarming honesty, the two quickly pair up. From the beginning, they know that any relationship they have is limited to the next month and a half, so they promise to keep it light and casual. It doesn't work.

Six weeks later, Erin is packed to leave, and Garrett is pretending that's okay. Despite their best efforts, the two are soon burning up the phone lines between the coasts. Erin's sister, Corinne (Christina Applegate) is dismayed knowing that a relationship over such a distance is hard. In fact, it's all but impossible.

The plot seems very simplistic and I suppose that it is. But Garrett's eccentric roommate Dan (Charlie Day) and Erin's sister's personality quirks add real spice to most scenes, and the very real chemistry between the main characters (Barrymore and Long have had a real life on-off-on relationship) transcends the simplicity and makes Going the Distance something more.

Barrymore, as always, is capable, and her innate sweetness shines out from the screen. Long, perhaps best known as the "Mac guy" on those infamous Mac/PC commercials, proves an able partner. Day is good, and though Applegate's role is limited, she steals her scenes almost across the board. Look also for Jim Gaffigan in a small supporting part as Corinne's husband. His deadpan delivery is perfect.

BOTTOM LINE: Going the Distance was amusing without question. But what made it a good movie was the fact that, for all the genuine laughs, it quite simply rang true.

POLITICAL NOTES: None.

FAMILY SUITABILITY: Going the Distance is rated R for "sexual content including dialogue, language throughout, some drug use and brief nudity." While this is not a movie for small children, the tenderness with which the central relationship is played and the integrity and genuine caring portrayed by each half of the central couple wouldn't be a bad lesson for teens to learn. I'd say this film is okay for teens 14 and up.