Going the Distance
For the most part, romcoms are interchangeable, and it's the fantasy that you select when you choose to watch one. Scottish countryside or Upper Eastside townhouse? Funny gay friend or funny married friend? Going the Distance doesn't really change the game, but it does bring a grubbier option to the table. This is a new fantasy for a new generation marked by 20-year adolescences and a taste for reality-based entertainment, an old formula inserted into a new skin. It talks dirty and wears ripped jeans, but the fantasy is still there, living a different dream as binge drinkers in the big city with creative careers and eventual prosperity in the distance.
by Marjorie Skinner