Buzznet’s Review of “Going The Distance” with Drew Barrymore and Justin Long

Again, the disclaimer must be made that I am an absolute sucker for a rom com. 27 Dresses? Watched it twice. Definitely, Maybe? Cried my eyes out. Don’t even get me started on Love, Actually. So it’s really no surprise to anyone that I enjoyed this film. Drew Barrymore, despite her lisp and curious habit of talking out the side of her mouth, is cute and relatable, and Justin Long is kind of sexy in a mop haired puppy kind of way. The plot line was unremarkable but satisfying (who the hell wants to watch a romantic comedy with a tragically sad ending?) and the soundtrack was great (so maybe I sobbed a little when I heard the opening bars of The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven”).

What really made this movie extra awesome was the supporting cast. Charlie Day from the incredible tv show “It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia” was pee-yourself funny as Justin Long’s idiotic yet totally endearing pal and Christina Applegate and Jim Gaffigan both provide a lot of laughs as Barrymore’s sister and brother-in-law. Also, Jason Sudeikis MARRY ME YOU ARE THE FUNNIEST MAN ALIVE.

There are a lot of raunchy jokes in this movie which perfectly offset the requisite romantic sap (not that I’m ever opposed to this) and Barrymore and Long have great chemistry, both sexual and comedic. The whole thing is almost like a love letter to this moment in history, where thirty one year olds easily find themselves as interns (and “behind schedule” on life) and the dreams some of us have been chasing (journalism, music industry) are on shaky ground. And for a twenty something in a similar boat, it’s nice to see that (in the movie world anyway) things eventually work out.