Boy gets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back. This is the typical story sequence in a romantic comedy. Honestly, that’s always been one of the things about the genre that I’ve never liked. Finding a good romantic comedy that strays from the ordinary even the slightest bit can be a challenge.
Although I was skeptical, I thought I’d give the new movie “Going the Distance” a chance. Let’s just say it was another strike against romantic comedies.
As expected, the plot was not anything special. The story traces Erin (Drew Barrymore) and Garrett (Justin Long): two lovers who find each other in a bar in New York. The connection between them is obviously strong and the couple kicks off on a six week summer fling only to discover that Erin must return to school in San Francisco to finish her journalism degree while Garrett continues his music industry job in the Big Apple.
When the time comes to part, the couple decides to take on a long distance relationship and quickly notices the challenges when they receive big opportunities from their jobs.
Technically speaking, the acting was rather good. Barrymore and Long’s real life friendship came across on the screen as the couple had great chemistry together. Garrett’s bar friends played by Charlie Day and SNL’s Jason Sudeikis were an adequate form of comic relief along with Christina Applegate and Jim Gaffigan who play Erin’s protective sister and brother-in-law.
Although I chuckled a few times, it wasn’t enough to give this film a solid “two-thumbs-up.” In fact, by the end of the movie, I was more disgusted than anything.
The “R” rating here is no joke. As if the constant sexual innuendoes and sex scenes weren’t enough, the seemingly never ending use of pointless profane language was absolutely ridiculous. Much of the vile content was completely unnecessary and did nothing for the plot, destroying any potential that the film might have had.
At one point I just had to shake my head and think, “Is this really what people want to see in romantic comedies nowadays?” The whole thing was absolutely repulsive.
So maybe “Going the Distance” did have the twist I was looking for. It may have followed the basic plot line, but it certainly shocked me with the excessive use of appalling content. I guess I’ll go with my gut and leave the romantic comedy alone for a while.