If ever there was a genre that continually put its arse up for a kicking the ‘Rom-Com’ would be it. Whilst history denotes that when done well, romantic comedies can prove lucrative it does seem that the genre has become a dumping ground where churned out, gormless star vehicles go to die. Just see 2010’s The Back-Up Plan (Jennifer Lopez) and The Rebound (Catherine Zeta Jones) as evidence of this. As a result, when tasked with watching Going the Distance, another on screen outing for real life couple Drew Barrymore and Justin Long I was understandably unmoved. I was also wrong.
Unlike the previously cited rom-coms Going the Distance does at least feature a real life quandary. Can long distance relationships actually succeed? After a fleeting six week romance this is the dilemma that faces news paper intern Erin and recently single, record label dog’s body Garrett. After a slightly cringe making montage of their whirlwind romance the real story of Erin and Garret begins, evolving into an engaging and surprisingly witty little love comedy.
Before I go on it would be remiss of me to not broach the elephant in the room. Yes, this is very blatantly an attempt to capitalise on the market space previously occupied by last years (500) Days of Summer. I would even go as far as to say that the film may have been tweaked in post production to give it a more ‘summery’ feel. Resultantly the film is likely to have less of an impact than it’s predecessor and it’s unlikely to be quite so universally accepted by all your trendy mates. Once you acknowledge and accept that this kind of behaviour is standard practice in Hollywood you will no doubt be free to relax and enjoy the movie.
As with the aforementioned Marc Webb flick Going the Distance is self consciously cool its script littered with references to movies, music and vintage arcade games. As you’d expect the assembled soundtrack is probably even more likely to please hipsters than the movie itself. A blend of classic pop, (The Pretenders, The Cure) and Indie soundtrack stalwarts (Cat Power, Eels, Albert Hammond Jr) the tracks merge with a subtle upbeat score composed by Mychael Danna who also just happened to work on… you guessed it (500) Days of Summer.
Whilst the film will not earn Barrymore praise on a par with her Emmy nominated turn in Grey Gardens or her directorial debut Whip It, she does once again prove to be one of the most likeable leading ladies in Hollywood.
Justin Long is slowly making the transition from weedy supporting boy to bona fide leading man. He may not quite have the chops of a Joseph Gordon Levitt yet but on this evidence he at least appears to be on his way. The focus, as you’d expect is very much on the chemistry between Barrymore and Long. There’s some good support from the likes of Jason Sudeikis, Charlie Day and Christina Applegate, plus cameos from funny folk Rob Wriggle, Kristen Schaal and Ron Livingston all of whom add to the intimate feel of the picture.
All of this adds up to the fact that this is not a bad little movie. Whilst it’s nothing particularly new it manages to surprise by avoiding (just) the trappings that have befallen many, many a ‘rom-com’. Whilst the cool kids will no doubt find reason to scoff I’m gonna take a leap and confess. Against all odds, I really liked this movie and the fact that I felt the pangs of loneliness creeping into my heart as I watched the film completely alone means it may just prove to be a quality date move.
Watch the trailer with an open mind here.
