Going the Distance won’t set the world on fire but will make you laugh your ass off. Thank goodness this Drew Barrymore starrer is rated R for multiple uses of the f-bomb, general potty mouth dialogue, some bong hits but virtually no nudity. The general sense of wickedness may be brief, but with Drew dispensing insults with the glee of a co-star on the Tom Green show, Going the Distance has more of a payoff than its brethren PG-13 movies (Dinner for Schmucks, The Other Guys) and their cliché gags.

Barrymore carries this movie in the way that Ben Stiller carries movies like Along Came Polly. In other words she’s the focal point of all the action when she’s in control as well as when she’s losing control. Sometimes she’s a bit of an ass, but everyone around her is a bigger ass, and that’s why Going the Distance performs as well as it does.

Drew absolutely slays in two scenes that I will refer to merely as the “suck it” scene and the “lick it” scene. Joining Drew is Christina Applegate as her sister and the chemistry, in particular Applegate’s antics, reminds of similar femme bonding moments in The Sweetest Thing.

Justin Long co-stars, and while I’ve always considered Long an above average comedian on film he’s a bit milquetoast as a leading man. Long’s saddled with the usual suspect roommates, who in movies like this never themselves have girlfriends or even good table manners but are always there to lend moral support. Going the Distance occasionally shines when it has no moral compass.

– Michael Bergeron