Review: Going the Distance

I’ll be honest, I didn’t love the movie 500 Days of Summer. I did love the music, Zooey Deschanel’s clothes and Joseph Gordon-Levitt but I was not a fan of their character’s relationship dynamic and how…unhappy it was. TC thought I was nuts and said in response to my negativity, “well, it’s realistic.”

I guess she’s right, but I finally got back into the theaters and saw a movie I liked way more and I thought was more accurate, realistic portrayal of modern day relationships.

Movie: Going the Distance

Rating: R

Release date: September 4, 2010

Everyday Adventures grade: B+

Summary: Garrett and Erin (Justin Long and Drew Barrymore) meet in a bar, have a one night stand and then fall in love. I wish that’s what actually happened after the walk of shame :) But she lives in San Fran and he’s in New York. Unwilling to give up on their great connection, they decide to try a long distance relationship and find it’s not as easy as they thought it would be.

My thoughts: I compare this movie to 500 Days of Summer and although the music in this one isn’t as good, I think it’s a much better story. The chemistry between Justin and Drew is pretty undeniable and at parts, you feel like you’re peeking in on their possibly real-life relationship, without feeling intrusive. Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston’s relationship in The Break Up was also very realistic but there, I felt more uncomfortable watching them fight, than I do watching Justin and Drew fall in love. You can see how much their characters compliment each other and really are adorable together.

The other thing I really liked about this movie is the accurate and dead-on way they show the evolution of a relationship and the struggles with long distance relationships. You can see how Justin and Drew’s relationships evolves from a crush, to frantic sexual attraction to a deeper connection, which is where the complications really come in. It’s not about the physical urges, it’s about the emotional ones not being met by being so far apart and the urges to find temporary solutions to them locally. I really enjoyed watching that and found myself really rooting for them.

The movie also has an AWESOME supporting cast of really funny characters by Charlie Day, Christina Applegate, Jim Gaffigan and Jason Sudekis. Each rotates around the main characters and really makes certain parts of the movie really funny. I cried laughing twice. The real standout from this group is Steve Day from Always Sunny. The guy is absolutely hilarious and a total scene stealer. Jim Gaffigan also gets major props.

The only complaint I had about this was the line it flirted with to become a teen gross-out like comedy. In parts, it did make sense, but at times, it felt really unnecessary and not genuine, especially at one part near the end. It was likely there to get guys in the seats too, but really, the male supporting casts’ banter would be enough (I think) to do that.

Finally, I hope that one day I have a roommate that DJs my hook ups too. That’s a great roommate.

Verdict: Definitely see it, but if you’re not in a major rush, you can wait for Redbox or Netflix.

What about you? Did you see it?