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The Thousand-mile Dare

Starring Drew Barrymore and Justin Long, "Going the Distance" is a rarity in Hollywood these days: a romantic comedy blissfully free of the "high-concept" plot. The film relies not on the machinations of a screwball situation, but on the honesty and realism of its main characters and of their long-distance relationship. For the first half, at least, the film succeeds.

Barrymore plays Erin, an aspiring journalist working a summer internship at a New York newspaper. In her thirties, Erin is no fresh-faced newbie. She's hyper-aware of how late she is in pursuing her dream - and in a dying industry where opportunities are few and far between. Erin's a tough cookie with a sharp tongue that is both startingly acid and rather charming coming out of Barrymore's crookedy lisp.

After a rough day at the office she meets Garrett (Long) at a local watering hole. Garrett's an A&R guy for a record label (also a dying industry), drowning his sorrows after another failed relationship. True to the rom-com movie manual, they "meet cute" over a game of Centipede. But their brief, um, courtship (read: one-nighter) is both funny and relatable.

When Erin has to go back home to San Francisco after her internship ends, they make the momentous decision to continue their relationship long-distance. They are met with resistance and doubt from Erin's overprotective older sister, Corinne (Christina Applegate), and Garrett's bros Box and Dan (Jason Sudeikis and Charlie Day). The supporting characters ding zinger after zinger as Erin and Garrett carry on their romance over text messages, video chat and phone calls. Screenwriter Geoff LaTulippe peppers the script with sassy patter, profanities and graphic talk that might make little old ladies uncomfortable, but the jaded hipsters will feel right at home.

Like many relationships, the film has a giddy start, then struggles to keep up the momentum. At the outset, we like Erin and Garrett and want to see them succeed. But being honest and relatable is a double-edged sword. They can be just as selfish, unreasonable and inconsiderate as real people are. And eventually, their appeal begins to wear thin. The film's director, Nanette Burstein, utilizes a handheld camera through the early days of their romance to give the film a fresh, realistic feeling, but the technique is unfortunately abandoned early on. So does the honesty of the script, as the typical romantic comedy cliches begin to creep in and hang on until the end. Still, it's a nice change, and may herald a new era in rom-coms, free of stilettos and wacky misunderstandings. Well, a girl can hope.