Going The Distance

Going the Distance - Movie Review
So I gave up on movies for the summer. It appears that quite a few interesting flicks will be hitting the screen soon, so I thought I’d just sit tight. Anyway, here’s how my day unfolded…

Hubby wanted to go to work on a Saturday. Yuck! Since his office is in San Francisco though, I thought it might be a great opportunity to meet up with some friends. One friend was in from out of town and another is perpetually busy like me. Well, things didn’t work out, and I now found myself in the city with many hours to kill. Of course I’m going to go to the movies!

The buzz on Going the Distance, the new romantic comedy starring Drew Barrymore and Justin Long, is good. My local radio station and Mick LaSalle of The Chronicle both gave it a good review. I’ll add to it that this was a satisfying trip to the movies. No, it’s not making my list of all-time great romantic comedies, but I would watch this from time to time in the future.

A romance that reflects our times, this is more than young, hip urbanites trying to choose between love and a career. Remember we are on “lucky to have a job” times, and Barrymore and Long are both in suffering fields: journalism and music. Long’s character clings to a job he hates and Barrymore pounds the pavement trying to find a job, any job, in her field.

Barrymore’s character meets Long’s while she is working an internship in New York. Of course when the short-term clause of their relationship is laid out, (she’s returning home to California in six weeks) we know it will be something more.

The plot is formulaic and well-charted territory in the romantic comedy genre, so the audience is dependant on other factors to set this film apart. I appreciated the tiny differences that were thrown in. I loved the effort to make Ms. Barrymore look like she was not wearing makeup when she goes to breakfast “the morning after” with Long. I love that they have total potty mouths. I love that Long’s roommate can hear EVERYTHING going on in the bedroom from his shared wall bedroom. I also loved that as they try to make their long-distance relationship work, they often can’t afford the airfare.

Our current economy was almost its own character in this film. It played a large role in how their relationship was handled and many of the decisions they made. Although they didn’t get heavy-handed with it, it’s clear that we live in a time when it’s no longer choosing career over a relationship; it’s survival.

Barrymore and Long had a sweet, easy chemistry about them, and Drew Barrymore is just like a little packet of sugar; add her to anything and it’s instantly sweeter. I have to say though, Charlie Day completely made this movie for me. I’ve been a fan of It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia since it began several years back on FX. I felt people were looking at me because I laughed extra loud at everything Charlie said. I can’t help it, the guy cracks me up! All in all, a satisfying day at the movies. It also had a pretty good soundtrack too.

So what did I do with the rest of my day? Well I prepared a little photo essay for you. I decided to take my own photo of the movie poster and I stood in line for 30 minutes for a cup o’ joe at Blue Bottle Coffee. Crazy, I know, but the hubby wasn’t ready yet, so what else did I have to do? It was good coffee!


I got a great shot of The Transamerica Pyramid and walked around the Ferry Building. All in all, a pretty good day!