|
©Photo by Jessica Miglio/Warner
Bros. Pictures
Justin Long and Drew
Barrymore in Going the Distance.
by Alison Gang, Gazette
Movie Critic
Going the Distance
Directed by: Nanette Burstein
Running Time: 97 minutes
Principal Actors:
Drew Barrymore — Erin
Justin Long — Garrett
Charlie Day — Dan
Rated: R
Grade: *** (out of 5)
There’s nothing funny about being
in a long-distance relationship. The stretches
of loneliness, the missed phone calls, the
expensive plane tickets — it usually adds up to
misery once the giddiness wears off.
But if anyone can make the experience seem
downright adorable, it’s Drew Barrymore.
Although she may not be taking home any Oscars
for her familiar performance in the new Nanette
Burstein-directed romantic comedy Going the
Distance, Barrymore’s genuine, every-girl charm
is in full effect — as is the obvious chemistry
she shares with co-star and boyfriend Justin
Long (best known as “the Mac Guy” from the Apple
commercials).
Barrymore plays Erin, a 31-year-old student
interning for the summer at a New York
newspaper. Having already put her life on hold
for a relationship that ultimately failed, Erin
is determined to get her journalism career
going; so when she meets and hits it off with
Garrett (Long), a commitment-phobic record label
scout, the two agree to keep their hookup
casual.
Yeah, right. By the time she’s ready to return
to California six weeks later, this
down-to-earth couple are obviously in love —
whether they like it or not.
Lest you think this is some sappy “chick flick,”
be warned: Going the Distance has a lot more in
common with the raunchy male-bonding comedy The
Hangover than it does with You’ve Got Mail.
While the lovebirds are apart, we spend a great
deal of time with Garrett and his
emotionally-stunted friends Dan (Charlie Day)
and Box (Jason Sudeikis). Their juvenile antics
are designed to elicit shocked howls of laughter
and, unless you’re the type who’s turned off by
this brand of humor, it succeeds.
But it’s Barrymore’s willingness to flaunt her
own inner adolescence — without sacrificing her
unique brand of feminine charm — that makes this
a romantic comedy of an entirely different
breed. Erin is perfectly comfortable letting
f-bombs fly in casual conversation, engaging in
graphic sex talk with her uptight sister
(Christina Applegate), getting drunk with
abandon and scarfing down saucy chicken wings on
a first date. And Garrett loves her all the more
for it, as do we.
With its foul-mouthed punch lines and
sometimes-repetitious toilet humor, Going the
Distance still manages to come off as an oddly
sweet love story with cross-gender (though maybe
not cross-generational) appeal. At the very
least, the film shows that “romantic comedy”
does not always mean “chick flick.”
For a complete listing of current movies
playing in the Hammonton area, click on
“Entertainment” and “Local Movie Listings.”
|
