Going the Distance (www.the-usher.com)

"I'm your sister. This is what I'm here to do: terrify you."

Having just broken up with his girlfriend Garrett (Long) heads to the bar with his best friends Dan (Day) and Box (Sudeikis) to drink his troubles away but he never expected to meet Erin. With neither of them looking for a relationship, especially when she is returning to her San Francisco home in six weeks, the pair decide to just enjoy their time together in New York. As that six weeks comes to an end however, they realise that they might just have a little more than just friendship and decide to give the long distance relationship a try but can they survive spending three months at a time apart or will the strain become too much?

There is a very thin line that all romantic comedies must walk to make them appeal to both sexes, one misstep either way and you fall into either a ‘Chick-Flick’ or a ‘Man-Film’ but can ‘Going the Distance’ balance that line?

When it comes to making romantic comedies that both of the sexes can enjoy, filmmakers and studios have been looking for the correct mixture since the beginning of motion pictures. There is nothing worse than been a wife, husband, girlfriend, boyfriend or partner than been dragged along to a supposed romantic comedy that is too lovey-dovey or too crude for either sex to really enjoy. The mix needs to be just right to become the perfect date movie and the great news is that ‘Going the Distance’ does exactly that.

The premise is simple. Two people fall in love over the course of six weeks, even though they set out just to have a bit of fun while she was in New York, Erin and Garrett become more than that. So the only thing they can do is to try the long distance relationship and overcome all the problems of living in New York and San Francisco. While this has been done many times before, it is writer Geoff LaTulippe and director Nanette Burstein’s twist on this usual tale that makes this a real laugh-out-loud hoot.

To get a premise like this to work you need two actors who can make the couple believable and one you really want to see end up together. Justin Long and Drew Barrymore are that couple. There has always been something about Drew Barrymore. Whether it be as a romantic comedy star in hits like ‘The Wedding Singer’ or ’50 First Dates’ or kicking butt in the ‘Charlie’s Angels’ movies, Drew has become a much loved actress and with ‘Whip It!’, an exciting filmmaker. Justin Long is an actor who does not like to play to type. Just at home in a horror as he is in a comedy, Justin has always been a likeable, everyman. This makes them the ideal choice for Erin and Garrett and it is their chemistry that makes the film work.

As with all good romantic comedies, the supporting cast is also key and ‘Going the Distance’ has this in spades. Jason Sudeikis and Charlie Day are extremely funny as Garrett’s best friends Box and Dan, providing most of the laugh-out-loud one-liners. Christina Applegate and Jim Gaffigan are also extremely good as Erin’s sister and brother-in-law, whose home life is a real highlight of the film.

A good cast and a very funny take on a well used plot device makes ‘Going the Distance’ a rare gem. This is a film that works for both genders and the ideal date movie. With some real laugh-out-loud moments and characters that you really start to care about, this is a must for all romantic comedy fans.

DVD Special Features
The ‘Going the Distance’ Blu-ray Triple Play contains the following special features:
Commentary with Nannette Bernstein
How to Have the Perfect Date?
A Guide to Long Distance Dating
The Cast of Going the Distance: Off the Cuff
Deleted Scenes
"If You Run" Music Video by The Boxer Rebellion
Behind the Scenes of the Going the Distance Soundtrack

The ‘Going the Distance’ DVD contains the following special features:
Deleted Scenes

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2010