Going the Distance 2010

Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: [It does] that one thing that a romance absolutely has to do -- touch us. Read more

James Rocchi, MSN Movies: There's rat-a-tat dialogue in "Going the Distance," but it's kept small-caliber, and the film does not kid itself -- or us -- about how much hard work is required to keep a flickering flame of feeling alive in the face of a big, cold world. Read more

A.O. Scott, New York Times: Acknowledges both the difficulty and the comic potential of the arrangement, and does so with enough insight and charm to make you wonder why frequent-flier love is not a more popular theme in romantic comedies. Read more

Jake Coyle, Associated Press: The couple-surrounded-by-quirky-friends dynamic is as obvious as the movie's New York locales and well-positioned indie band posters. Read more

David Fear, Time Out: Just because you tart up a typical romantic comedy with trash talk doesn't make it edgy or real. Read more

Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times: An R-rated romance that has its moments but is ultimately trying a little too hard (something Barrymore, with her trademark lightness, never does). Read more

Scott Tobias, AV Club: It all looks so effortless, it's a wonder that movies like Going The Distance are such an anomaly. Read more

Randy Cordova, Arizona Republic: In terms of tone and style, the finished product ends up all over the place: Think of it as the Sybil of romantic comedies. Read more

Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: Between this movie and her fascinating performance in HBO's Grey Gardens, Barrymore, at 35, is becoming a serious comedic actor. Read more

Andrea Gronvall, Chicago Reader: There's also some gallows humor about the record and newspaper industries, but overall this is a light, genial comedy about denial and self-defense. Read more

Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: Screenwriter Geoff LaTulippe's story of a recession-era long-distance relationship and its hurdles takes its characters seriously. Read more

Tom Long, Detroit News: The film's constant raunch factor balances out its romantic center in a way that will likely surprise and please many. Read more

Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: Going the Distance may be a minor movie, but it's also the rare romantic comedy in which you can actually believe what you're seeing. Read more

Laremy Legel, Film.com: The long distance aspect was interesting, accurate, and mined for maximum comic effect. Read more

Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter: It's hard to imagine any romantic comedy going wrong in so many different ways. Read more

Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: This empty, immature romantic comedy ultimately feels as if it's filled with all the hot air that separates New York and San Francisco, yet still manages to be a suffocating bore. Read more

Lou Lumenick, New York Post: It smothers the already frail story of their characters' long-distance relationship with enough R-rated gross-out humor for half a dozen Judd Apatow movies -- except that virtually none of it is funny. Read more

Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: The film gets many things so right about the conflicts faced by a two-career couple looking for work in a shrinking economy. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: To date, no motion picture has adequately captured the soaring highs and devastating lows associated with a long distance relationship, but Going the Distance comes as close as any movie has. Read more

Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: Barrymore and Long are both appealing, but not enough to sustain audience interest in the cinematic equivalent of dry-humping. Read more

Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com: It's a solid but totally forgettable entertainment, redeemed somewhat by Barrymore's loud, horsey laugh and some agreeably racy comic situations. Read more

Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: Captures the harshness and the sweetness of our time. Read more

Dana Stevens, Slate: There's just not quite enough to the movie: not enough jokes, not enough obstacles, not enough sex. Read more

Tom Horgen, Minneapolis Star Tribune: A foul-mouthed rom-com carved from Apatowian intent, but it feels more like a sketch of a movie than the real thing. Read more

Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Justin Long and Drew Barrymore have a believable chemistry that makes Going the Distance worth going to. More or less. Read more

Rick Groen, Globe and Mail: Particularly forgettable. Read more

Linda Barnard, Toronto Star: Going the Distance is a reminder of the sorry state of the rom-com, where gross scenes and easy-to-write trash talk have replaced smart dialogue. Read more

Anna Smith, Time Out: What's both refreshing and problematic is that there's no emotional imbalance between boy and girl: their feelings are mutual and the obstacle is purely geographical. Read more

Claudia Puig, USA Today: This premise, with better writing, could have made a much more compelling movie. Read more

Justin Chang, Variety: A bicoastal comedy with a bit of a bipolar disorder. Read more

Karina Longworth, Village Voice: Nanette Burstein reminds us she was previously a director of documentaries by occasionally shooting with a handheld camera for no discernible reason. Read more

Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: It's filthy, funny and kind of sweet, if not quite up to the level of Judd Apatow's oeuvre in the burgeoning field of R-rated comedies with heart. Read more