Going the DistanceMovie Reviews

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So-so

Avg. Critic Score: 51 out of 100 Mixed or average reviews Metascore^® based on all critic reviews

Information for Parents:

Iffy for 16+

Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

100

San Francisco Chronicle | Mick LaSalle
The film captures the harshness and the sweetness of our time. Read full review
83

Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman
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 full review
80

Boxoffice Magazine | Pam Grady
Likely to resonate with a generation of young people to whom "When Harry Met Sally's" orgasm scene seems downright quaint. Read full review
75

Boston Globe | Wesley Morris
Going the Distance earns its R rating, often by daring to say what goes frequently unsaid by women in raunchy comedies. It's not a very good movie. The entire second half is a sitcom. Read full review
75

The Onion A.V. Club | Scott Tobias
Going The Distance could stand to color outside the lines a bit more, but it's perceptive about the problems of young people torn between pursuing love or their nascent career ambitions, and the witty script, by first-timer Geoff LaTulippe, is spiked with refreshing profanity. Read full review
75

ReelViews | James Berardinelli
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 full review
60

The New York Times | A.O. Scott
Romantic comedies nowadays tend to be either aggressively coarse or artificially sweet, and Going the Distance finds a workable middle ground. Read full review
50

USA Today | Claudia Puig
As it is, this uneven movie is more a compilation of contemporary images and concerns peppered with derivative raucous scenarios, la Judd Apatow movies, than an involving romantic comedy. Read full review
40

Village Voice |
Distance is rated R because everyone swears excessively for no reason, the supporting cast of smart comedians (Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis) saddled with delivering painfully dumb, often unnecessarily dirty dialogue. Read full review
40

Variety | Justin Chang
This uneven effort saddles its likable leads, Drew Barrymore and Justin Long, with the kind of verbally exaggerated sexual humor that not only comes off as embarrassingly strained and calculated, but also compromises what the picture genuinely wants to be. Read full review

Metacritic link View more reviews for Going the Distance on Metacritic

Information for Parents

Common Sense Media says Iffy for 16+ Edgy Barrymore romcom has lots of sex, language.

What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this refreshing romcom is quite a bit edgier than many of star Drew Barrymore's other, more kid-friendly comedies: It's a frank exploration of long-distance relationships and all of the challenges that come with them, from the emotional to the sexual. There's lots of swearing (including frequent use of "f--k"), plus plenty of references to -- and colorful descriptions of -- sex acts (including oral sex, masturbation, phone sex, and more). A few scenes include some partial male nudity (including a memorable butt shot); there's also a fair bit of drinking and some drug use (the lead characters smoke weed with a bong).

Families can talk about how the film portrays sex, drinking, and drug use. Do you think it's intending to send any specific messages about those topics? What can some of the real-life repercussions of those behaviors be?
Who do you think this film is intended to appeal to? How can you tell?
Parents, talk to your teens about realistic expectations for dating and romance.

The good stuff

Positive messages: For the most part, the movie offers positive messages -- including that women and men should be equal partners in a relationship and that the woman isn't necessarily the one who should give up her dreams to pursue her guy. The movie also makes it clear that love is work, but that it's worth it for the right person. A secondary message is that you're never too old to pursue your dream career, despite past mistakes and a late start.
Positive role models: The main characters do plenty of iffy things (drugs, drinking, hooking up), but they ultimately have each other's best interests in mind, and have a fairly honest and respectful relationship. Secondary characters bolster the idea that friends and family should be there for you in times of crisis and joy (though they also do iffy things in the name of comic relief).

What to watch for

Violence: An inebriated woman gets into a shouting match with a guy at a bar and has to be hauled out bodily.
Sex: Plenty of frank discussion about sex acts (including dry humping, oral sex, and masturbation). A couple has phone sex (viewers see their hands meander under the covers and hear some of the dirty talk). Some scenes in which the central couple is shown in sexual positions and is implied to be having intercourse -- in one, the man's naked behind is visible. In another, non-sexual scene, a main character is shown naked from most angles while attempting to get a spray tan (no genitals shown). Kissing, hooking up. Lots of sexual/body part language, including "penis," "vagina," "d--k," "laid," and more.
Language: Very frequent use of many swear words -- including "f--k," "s--t," "d--k," "goddamn," "bitch," "laid," "a--hole," "hell," "Jesus" (as an exclamation), and more.
Consumerism: Some signage for Southwest and Budweiser. Mug Root Beer and Boston Market are also shown/mentioned.
Drinking, drugs and smoking: A couple smokes weed through a bong (leading him to call her "Snoop"). They also drink frequently, usually in pubs or bars, with their friends. A lead character gets sloshed one night and nearly cheats.

Common Sense Media An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.