Going The Distance (R16)
115 minutes
4/5
Going The Distance is one of those sleeper movies that doesn't attract a lot of publicity or plaudits but has something special about it.
There's not one single thing you can put your finger on; what makes this very watchable is the combination of strong script, great
cast and some wonderfully humourous moments.
The star of the show is Drew Barrymore. She plays Erin, a 30-something aspiring journalist who has let her life drift along for too long.
Barrymore is not your average Hollywood dolly bird star, she is unique in both her style and delivery.
When Erin meets record label maestro Garrett (Justin Long) she thinks it is nothing more than a one-night stand. When the relationship grows from there, she realises university commitments in San Francisco in six weeks will bring a logical end to their New York relationship. She doesn't want it to end so begins a dreaded long-distance relationship with all its pitfalls.
We watch as the relationship has its ups and its downs.
But what stands Going The Distance apart from similar efforts is the wonderful humour throughout. Garrett's flatmate is Dan (Charlie Day) and he's a character. Loveable but odd, he injects humour in just about every scene he appears in. It is easy to be left in tears of laughter as Dan and the rest of the cast go about their business.
The film's core appeal is obviously to a rom-com audience but the great humour widens its appeal.
