SYNOPSIS: Erin’s (Drew Barrymore) wry wit and unfiltered frankness charm newly single Garrett (Justin Long) over beer, bar trivia and breakfast the next morning. Their chemistry sparks a full-fledged summer fling, but neither expects it to last once Erin heads home to San Francisco and Garrett stays behind for his job in New York City. But when six weeks of romping through the city inadvertently become meaningful, neither is sure they want it to end. And while Garrett’s friends, Box (Jason Sudeikis) and Dan (Charlie Day), joke about his pre-flight calorie cutting and his full-time relationship with his cell phone, they don’t like losing their best drinking buddy to yet another rocky romance. At the same time, Erin’s high-strung, overprotective married sister, Corrine (Christina Applegate), wants to keep Erin from heading down an all-too-familiar road. But despite the opposite coasts, the nay-saying friends and family, and a few unexpected temptations, the couple just might have found something like love, and with the help of a lot of texting, sexting and late-night phone calls, they might actually go the distance.

REVIEW: There aren’t very many movies that you can directly relate to, but for me this is one of them. I’ve experienced a New York/Miami deal as well as a St. Petersburg, Florida/Miami deal. So yeah, I’ve been there done that, twice. In this case, we watch a New York/San Francisco connection which is obviously on opposite sides of the country. So they are truly going the distance. I appreciated the fact that the movie makers made this rendition of a long distance relationship quite realistic. In addition, the lead actors themselves contributed to the realism (I wonder why?). In case you didn’t know, these two are a real life couple thus the on point onscreen chemistry. But besides the aforementioned chemistry, the film also shows aspects of long distance relationship realism. They did a good job of demonstrating the frustration of being apart for months at a time and how the realities of life, such as daily responsibilities, set in and make you hesitate about the relationship. Even personal goals or career opportunities can really disrupt whatever plans you might have. It really isn’t the same when you are together close by compared to being far apart. It is like apples and oranges, day and night, you get the picture, and our two main characters are trying their best to make it work. And of course there will be people around you that will make it that much more difficult to accomplish in so many different ways, such as through negativity or just good ol’ fashion temptations. Erin (Drew Barrymore) and Garrett (Justin Long) go through all these trials and tribulations and you can’t help but to root for them all the way. Not only are these two characters endearing, their relationship is endearing as well so you find yourself rooting for all three. 

One thing I found to be interesting about this flick is their respective careers. She is striving to be a newspaper reporter and he is in the music producing industry. This comes into play heavily throughout the plot of the story so there is meaning to it. It is not just a random selection. It is apparent that this film was carefully thought through and not just another cookie cutter rom-com. The movie is sweet, chock full of romantic moments and funny moments. You might have a tear of laughter and maybe even one of sorrow. Drew and Justin were excellent with their characters and this story and as I mentioned before, their chemistry was fluid. The supporting cast was right on as well. Christina Applegate plays Erin’s protective sister, Corinne, and she nailed it. Christina and Drew mesh nicely. Corinne has a daughter, Maya, and one of her discipline techniques with Maya will give you a good laugh so be on the look out for it. The goofball of the movie, Dan, Garrett’s roommate, was superbly played by Charlie Day. He reminds me of a Zach Galifianakis or Seth Rogen type of actor. The script for this movie was not exactly incredible, but it was decent enough and the comedy was fresh enough to make this an all around good movie. Oh yeah, and it’s charming too. It is quite a breakthrough into the world of rom-com for Director Nanette Burstein who has directed mostly documentary type projects. Not bad Nanette.