'Going the Distance' hardly makes it out of the gate

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‘Going the Distance’ hardly makes it out of the gate

Wed, Sep 1, 2010 (5:55 p.m.)

Going The Distance

Drew Barrymore, Justin Long, Christina Applegate, Charlie Day; Directed by Nanette Burstein; Rated R
Beyond the Weekly: Going The Distance; IMDb: Going The Distance; Rotten Tomatoes: Going The Distance

Real-life off-and-on couple Drew Barrymore and Justin Long have a nice natural chemistry in the otherwise misbegotten romantic comedy Going the Distance, but their rapport is just about the only thing the movie gets right. Distance is seemingly lost as to what to do with Garrett (Long) and Erin (Barrymore) once they get together. They plan for a low-key fling before she has to leave New York City, but after six weeks they’re hopelessly in love. Trying to make their relationship work long-distance proves challenging, but none of those obstacles are serious enough to generate real stakes, nor funny enough to excuse the narrative dullness. The surprisingly vulgar humor is at odds with the story’s sweetness and smacks of trying too hard. Distance hardly makes it out of the gate.

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