As fortune would have it, I was once again blessed by the free movie ticket gods to see a little flick called “Going The Distance” which starred Drew Barrymore and Justin Long as a couple that have to manage a long distance relationship and all the doubts and stresses that go with it. It’s a total stereotypical romantic comedy that anyone could guess the outcome. The film has several themes such as following dreams, things that we do for love, temptation, and selflessness. The movie doesn’t get all bogged down by tackling these issues with any depth. The real surprise was some of the random dialogue that comes out of left field that makes you stop and say “Did s/he just say that?” You’ll see what I mean in the first scene at the bar between the friends Garret, Dan, and Box (Long, Day, and Sudeikis).
The start of the movie takes off like a freakin Kentucky Derby. The jokes move the pacing of the movie so it’s actually kind of fun. The chemistry between Justin Long and his two friends works incredibly well. Also, as if I have to mention, so does his chemistry with Drew Barrymore. I can’t say that there was any bad acting in the movie as everyone did exactly what the script calls for. Even though the run time was about 85 minutes, it felt like it was over two hours. That’s the only true downer. It was a little disappointing that funnyman Jim Gaffigan didn’t have too much to do in this movie, but he did have two truly funny moments. One, of course, was the table scene where he’s eating a sandwich. Jeez, the audience EXPLODED with laughter so loud that the next few lines were inaudible. In addition to the comedy talents of Gaffigan and Sudeikis, Mike Birbiglia had a small part as a quirky waiter that knew nothing about wine. But I have to say if there was a stand out performance in this movie for me it was Christina Applegate. Man, she was a comedy beast! She plays the germaphobic and tough loving sister, Corrine to Barrymore’s Erin. Every time that she is on the screen you can bet that there will be a laugh! Her rant about dry humping is epically hilarious. Yes, epically.
The soundtrack is incredible! It’s got some great music from the featured band The Boxer Rebellion as well as a few throwbacks like The Pretender’s “Don’t Get Me Wrong” and The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven.”
So if you are a fan of any of the actors in the movie, you’ll probably enjoy it providing that you know there isn’t anything deep about it. It’s a nice piece that works for the purpose of escapism. If that’s what you need, this will totally fit the bill. It was supposed to start today, but it got pushed back to Labor Day weekend. Smart thinking as there isn’t anything coming out that weekend.
The Actorvist 