Nanette
Burstein"s
Going
the
Distance
(2010)
is
a
romantic
comedy
that
tries
to
mix
the
raunchiness
of
a
typical
Judd
Apatow
production
with
the
sweetness
of
a
typical
"chick
flick." But
the
mixture
is
not
something
that
you
will
end
up
appreciating
or
can
be
suggested
as
a
good
date
flick!
Drew
Barrymore
is
Erin,
a
summer
intern
at
a
New
York
newspaper
who
meets
not-so-cute
with
the
newly
dumped
Garrett
(Justin
Long).
After
bonding
over
bar
trivia,
they
hook
up,
though
Erin
is
reluctant
to
get
too
attached
since
she"ll
be
heading
back
to
California
in
six
weeks.
The
relationship,
however,
is
going
really
well,
leaving
the
two
absolutely
miserable
when
she
heads
home
to
finish
grad
school.
They
visit
each
other
as
often
as
possible,
but
neither
wants
to
be
the
one
to
move
cross-country
in
order
to
stay
together,
which
has
them
questioning
the
other"s
priorities
as
well
as
their
own.
Director
Nanette
Burstein
is
best
known
for
her
documentary
features
(such
as
The
Kid
Stays
in
the
Picture
and
American
Teen),
which
were
well-made.
Unfortunately,
she
lets
her
narrative
feature
debut
get
out
of
control
in
a
hurry.
Mostly
the
film
is
just
flat.
It's
funny,
and
the
actors
are
all
just
fine,
but
it
never
really
seems
to
take
on
any
life
and
the
whole
conflict
of
the
long-distance
relationship
never
gains
much
weight
beyond
being
a
catalyst
for
the
cliched
plot.
At
times,
you
can
see
some
real
potential
in
this
material,
especially
with
the
likable
Barrymore
and
Long
as
the
leads.
And
some
of
the
side
characters
are
amusing.
Television
actors
Jason
Sudeikis
and
Charlie
Day
play
his
buddies;
Christina
Applegate
and
Jim
Gaffigan
are
her
sister
and
brother-in-law.
But
their
presences
sidetrack
the
story,
and
the
situations
get
sillier
and
crasser
as
the
film
goes
along.
When
it's
not
confounding
or
irritating,
though,
the
film
tends
to
work.
It
was
an
inspired
decision
to
cast
a
real
couple
as
the
two
leads,
and
it
worked
out
pretty
perfectly.
Long
and
Barrymore
have
excellent
chemistry
and
play
very
well
off
of
each
other,
and
ultimately
it
makes
for
one
of
the
most
believable
screen
romances
for
quite
a
while
Going
the
Distance
carried
potential
to
be
a
good
romantic
comedy
but
the
opportunity
sadly
seems
wasted
in
here!
Producer:
Jennifer
Gibgot,
Jared
Hess
and
Adam
Shankman
Director:
Nanette
Burstein
Cast:
Drew
Barrymore,
Justin
Long,
Jason
Sudeikis,
Charlie
Day
and
Christina
Applegate