The Details

Going The Distance

Drew Barrymore, Justin Long, Christina Applegate, Charlie Day

Directed by Nanette Burstein

Rated R

Beyond the Weekly

Going The Distance

IMDb: Going The Distance

Rotten Tomatoes: Going The Distance

Real-life off-and-on couple Drew Barrymore and Justin Long have a nice natural chemistry in the otherwise misbegotten romantic comedy Going the Distance, but their rapport is just about the only thing the movie gets right. Distance is seemingly lost as to what to do with Garrett (Long) and Erin (Barrymore) once they get together. They plan for a low-key fling before she has to leave New York City, but after six weeks they’re hopelessly in love. Trying to make their relationship work long-distance proves challenging, but none of those obstacles are serious enough to generate real stakes, nor funny enough to excuse the narrative dullness. The surprisingly vulgar humor is at odds with the story’s sweetness and smacks of trying too hard. Distance hardly makes it out of the gate.