‘Going the Distance’ is another lackluster rom-com
Sometimes movies are a little like first dates
– you can tell in the first few minutes if the next two hours
are going to be well spent or if you should have worked out an
escape plan beforehand.
”
Going the Distance
”
was one of those movies where I knew from the beginning that it
just wasn’t going to be a match.
I wasn’t that interested in the movie when I first saw the
trailer, but being Labor Day weekend there weren’t many new
releases. The only new movies playing locally were
”
Going the Distance
”
and
”
Machete.
”
I really didn’t want to see the latter and I thought perhaps
Drew Barrymore might have some chemistry with her on-again
off-again beau Justin Long.
‘Going the Distance’ is another lackluster rom-com
Sometimes movies are a little like first dates – you can tell in the first few minutes if the next two hours are going to be well spent or if you should have worked out an escape plan beforehand. “Going the Distance” was one of those movies where I knew from the beginning that it just wasn’t going to be a match.
I wasn’t that interested in the movie when I first saw the trailer, but being Labor Day weekend there weren’t many new releases. The only new movies playing locally were “Going the Distance” and “Machete.” I really didn’t want to see the latter and I thought perhaps Drew Barrymore might have some chemistry with her on-again off-again beau Justin Long.
But my instinct to avoid romantic comedies in recent years proved to be right. I found myself cringing during the earliest scenes of the movie – and the cringing didn’t end there. The movie tries to balance the line between heart-felt romance and crude guy movie so much that neither effort really wins out. The whole point of a romantic comedy is that the viewers feel a little heartbreak when things start to sour between the lead couple and then we get that miracle that never really comes in real life when the pair somehow works things out in the end.
It turns out whatever their relationship status may be in real life, Barrymore and Long didn’t really have much on-screen chemistry. The storyline was simple enough – and maybe that was part of the problem with the movie. Erin (Drew Barrymore) is an intern at a big New York paper for the summer. She goes out and gets drunk after an especially unpleasant meeting with her editor. There she meets Garrett (Justin Long). Garrett’s girlfriend has just broken up with him (that night,) but luckily he’s really not that broken up about it. As his friends tell him, he never really commits to any relationship.
Erin and Garrett hook up for what she assumes will be a one-night stand. But despite his commitment phobia, Garrett asks for her number. Erin tells him up front that she is not looking for a relationship since she is moving back to California in six weeks to finish her graduate degree at Stanford. The two seem like a match made in heaven. The typical montage follows, with the two hanging out at the beach and an amusement park, holding hands and making out.
Erin has some hope that the paper will hire her full time, although given the frequent mentions of how crappy the news business is doing, her lateness to meetings with the editor and the fact that she hasn’t had one story published all summer, her hope seems misguided.
So at the end of the summer, Garrett drives Erin to the airport for an awkward goodbye. But before she leaves, he realizes he doesn’t want it to end. The commitment phobe likes Erin enough to try a long-distance relationship.
The storyline has plenty of built-in drama for the couple, as they are 3,000 miles apart. And neither of them has money to fly to visit the other very often. Garrett’s friend Box (Jason Sudeikis) and Erin’s sister Corinne (Christina Applegate) point out that the two haven’t really discussed their relationship or what the boundaries might be. That leads to the first discussion of whether or not they are exclusive. They decide they are, which of course, leads to the introduction of a good-looking British bartender of whom Garrett can be jealous.
In between the infrequent visits, the two chat, e-mail, text and talk. But, at least on screen, they don’t really seem to have that deep of a connection. The big question in the movie is really which of them is willing to give up their career for the other. Garrett’s label record work is based in New York and Erin’s best shot at a reporter’s job is in California. And in between all of this, there are a lot of really crass jokes from all parties involved that didn’t really add to the story. It seemed like a really lame way to get a cross-over audience (ie. to get men to the theater.)
I thought the long distance thing would be strong enough to make the movie relatable. After all, most people have been involved in a long-distance relationship at some point or know someone who has been. In the end the characters just weren’t developed enough for viewers to really feel all that invested in the long-distance relationship of Erin and Garrett. It just wasn’t something worth rooting for, and if a romantic comedy can’t get viewers to root for the couple, it’s missed the mark.
