A few days ago, I read an article about the mixed reviews that Godard’s Breathless (1960) received upon its initial release in France.

The article criticized the popular approach of asking viewers for their opinion of a film as they exit the theatre after a screening.

After viewing Going the Distance, I too heard vastly diverse responses from audience members and became slightly self-conscious about my own opinion of the film.

However, as I dug deeper, I realized the mediocrity of this film and that I had not, in fact, misunderstood a classic.

Nanette Burnstein, whose previous work has consisted mainly of documentaries, directs Going the Distance. It stars Justin Long (He’s Just Not That Into You) as Garrett, a music industry agent in New York City and Drew Barrymore (Whip It) as Erin, a 31-year-old intern who is an aspiring journalist.

The movie also features cameos by Ron Livingston (Office Space), Charlie Day (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) and Rob Riggle (The Daily Show).

The story begins when Garrett meets Erin at his favorite bar and is impressed when he discovers that she, too, is a fan of the arcade game Centipede.

After sharing drinks together and annoying a bartender during bar trivia, they spend the night together.

Later, Erin reveals that she is not looking for a committed relationship, since she will be returning to California in six weeks.

Despite their initial agreement to not become too attached to each other, they decide to maintain a long distance relationship, hence the title.

Even though Long and Barrymore have been in a relationship off-screen (including a recent split), their onscreen chemistry was generally lacking. In fact, the obligatory montage scene, which had the purpose to establish their blossoming relationship, did little to enhance their chemistry.

In terms of the comedy, many of the jokes and comic scenes were models from past romcoms (such as the miserable, old couple versus the loving, young one).

However, there were some very interesting uses of slapstick comedy, mainly by Charlie Day and Jim Gaffigan. One aspect of the comedy that became overused was the amount of profanity.

Don’t get me wrong, profanity can be an effective tool in comedy, so long as it is not gratuitous or out of place, as it is all too often in this movie.

Finally, Going the Distance does little to redefine or stand out within its own genre, as it follows the traditional archetype for the most part.

Thus, I am comfortable in stating that this film is simply okay, but not a must-see at the theatre. Don’t expect When Harry Met Sally, although it’s not 50 First Dates either.