Drew looks incredible, Justin transitions from comic side-kick to a leading man.  Filled with pungent wit, voracious dry humping, and a truly plausible relationship progression, Going The Distance has me smitten.

It’s not easy to craft a romantic comedy these days.  The audiences have not only gotten smarter, but every possible turn a relationship can take has been tried.  Watching romcom’s these days the resounding thought as we hunker down is how artfully and enjoyably can the filmmakers get us to the ending that we know is inevitable.   Going The Distance delivers a great route.  It doesn’t feel forced by the running time of the movie nor does the relationship transition from happy to sad and back for the sake of a joyous ending – it just moves fluidly and better so, believably.  If it weren’t for its’ R rating, this films box office haul could be much bigger.  Interestingly, the R rating is not wasted on gratuitous nudity, but more utilized for the films pervasive showing of drug use and its language.  It’ll be interesting to see how the box office plays out on this one – I’d love to see a 15M+ opening though, it certainly deserves it.

Drew Barrymore (Firestarter) and Justin Long (Galaxy Quest) portray distance lovers Erin and Garrett respectively.  Erin’s a harried and driven writer, scrapping away as an intern at an NYC newspaper.   Garrett lives in the same city and toils away at a music label – peddling the latest wanna-be pop artists.  Erin’s a couple months away from moving back to California to finish her Master’s when she haphazardly meets Garrett, of all places…in a bar.  A definite kismet is formed and although they know the shelf life of their relationship is only weeks, they each submit to just lets things happen.   At the end of the summer, Erin moves back to California and her neurotic sister Corinne (Christina Applegate – TV’s Married With Children).  Garrett stays behind in NYC and pines to return them to their same-city blissfull ways.  The two make the normal promises you’d expect in carrying a long distance relationship but the execution is where the film finds it strides.   Phone sex, quick surprise flights, and the temptation of the opposite sex in your own zip code – things are challenging for them both to say the least.  Even I got a little misty eyed at the storybook ending which resounded in my mind thanks to the music of the films fictitious rising band Boxer Rebellion, who in real-life, are a band of the same name.

Supporting the cast are a couple solid performances.  Dan, one of Garrett’s two best buds portrayed by Charlie Day (TV’s It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia) is a riot.  An oddball with a lack of convention and wearing his emotions on his sleeve, he solidly supports the film and Garrett.  Christina Applegate transcends her 90’s alter ego with this spot on hilarious performance as a germaphobe life inhibited house Mommy.   I must devote a sentence or two for Catherine Marie Thomas.  Who is she you might ask?  She’s the films costume designer.  I was mesmerized by the wardrobe choices for Erin.  Loose backless tops, halters, even a great bikini, she looked fantastic.  It was chic at times, fresh and bold at others.  Cooly casual sass while thumping in the club, and airy vogue in the summer months.  Hats off to you Catherine for a super job, Drew looked fantastic!  When consulting the film bible IMDB, it turned out Catherine’s needling skills were used in the Kill Bill films as well.

Going The Distance is a great date movie.  You’ll have a great time as you laugh and grow with these characters.  There’s real emotion in their plight, and Long & Barrymore do a great job of pulling that out.  Their on screen chemistry is undeniable and Long delivers a realistic and poignant performance as a romantic lead.

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Going The Distance is rated R for sexual content including dialogue, language throughout, some drug use, and brief nudity.

Atomic Popcorn is pleased to invite you all to the upcoming Warner Bros. Pictures film GOING THE DISTANCE, which will open on Friday, September 3rd. Make sure you grab a date and show up early for this one!

Just in case you don’t scour the internet for trailers and news daily like I do, the synopsis is below for you!

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.

Academy Award®-nominated documentary filmmaker Nanette Burstein (“On the Ropes”) makes her feature film directorial debut with “Going the Distance.”  The film is written by Geoff LaTulippe and stars Golden Globe Award winner Drew Barrymore (“Grey Gardens”), Justin Long (“He’s Just Not That Into You”), Charlie Day (TV’s “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”), Jason Sudeikis (TV’s “Saturday Night Live”), Jim Gaffigan (“17 Again”) and Golden Globe Award nominee Christina Applegate (TV’s “Samantha Who?” and “Jesse”).

The film is produced by Adam Shankman (“17 Again”), Jennifer Gibgot (“The Last Song”) and Garrett Grant (“Hairspray”).  Dave Neustadter, Richard Brener and Michael Disco serve as executive producers.

Trailer:

CLICK HERE FOR YOUR PASS: and enter

ATOMICV8Z1

As a reminder, screening tickets do not guarantee admittance.  Seating is first come, first served and this should be enough for you all to be there early!

Pajiba reported today that Drew Barrymore is attached to direct Surrender Dorothy,

Based on a script by Zach Helm, the project has been in development at Warner Bros. for almost ten years. Originally, Barrymore was set to star in the picture, but now, after making her debut behind the camera with last year’s Whip It, is set to direct.

The film focuses on Dorothy’s great, great-granddaughter “who has to learn how to use the power of those ruby red slippers to keep the Wicked Witch of the West from taking control of the kingdoms of Earth and Oz.” No word yet on who will play the main role, although rumors are already swirling around Ellen Page.

It seems like Oz-related projects are all the rage right now. Warner Bros. is also moving forward on Oz: The Return to Emerald City, based on a script by Josh Olson. Robert Downey, Jr. is also attached to a prequel which focuses on the Wizard.

Now this project, according to MTV Movies Blog, is “a modern-day tale that follows lawyer Dorothy Neil, granddaughter of former Oz visitor Dorothy Gale. As the story goes, Neil and a young child — the daughter of her boss — end up in the magical land, where they team up with the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion to bring down a new evil witch.”

Hmmm… sounds a lot like Barrymore’s project, but I doubt that they’re the same film, as the former has been around for a while longer. Could Warner Bros. be so confident as to plan two “Oz” sequels back-to-back? It would make sense — one is the granddaughter, the other is the great, great-granddaughter.

What do you think? How are these projects related, or are they the same?

There’s a real message inherit in Whip It that’s exclusive to any woman who’s had her mother try to mold her in her maternal image. While this might seem to make the film “girls only”, Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut does feature enough charm to appeal to the other gender as well. But alas, this is a true girl power movie, and Barrymore makes no qualms about championing that. For her first picture, Barrymore emulates the derby girls in her film: a couple of bumps and bruises but an overall entertaining effort.

One of the best compliments Barrymore can receive lies with her ability to tell a story. Granted, the script itself isn’t the most complicated story to adapt, yet Barrymore keeps things focused on the characters and their relationships. The plot itself might be exaggerated, but the people are believable, especially Marcia Gay Harden’s overbearing mother Brooke. All of this is well-paced and Drew succeeds in not letting things get out of hand. She also succeeds in not being quirky just for the sake of it (and really, the film could have gone that route several times but chose not to.) Special mention should be given to a pool scene midway through the picture that Drew directs with a nice visual flair. The music, blended with the characters’ actions on-screen, creates a touching sequence that does entice us with a glimpse of what she’s capable of accomplishing from behind the camera.

Unfortunately that rookie mentality does rear its ugly head every now and again. Ironically, Barrymore doesn’t film the roller derby scenes with the same type of flair she possesses for the character scenes. Normally that wouldn’t be a fault, but the film is supposed to be about the sport after all; anyone who didn’t know how it was played would still not know how it was played after viewing the movie. Shots on the derby girls are too close as they skate around the rink and it’s never established visually who’s scored or how they scored. The film just glosses over the highlights without truly giving a sense of what the sport is about. Barrymore also stays cute and clean with how she wraps up her story. Really though, that’s more a fault on Shauna Cross’s screenplay than Barrymore’s direction, but the big decision at the end is rendered really tough to swallow even if the film is essentially the normal ‘feel-good sports film.’

Barrymore did indeed do a good job casting this picture, starting with Ellen Page as Bliss Cavendar (a.k.a. Babe Ruthless, one of the many great names in this movie.) Page carries the picture through its cheesy moments with her rebellious yet innocent portrayal. Page again makes the case that she’s one of the best actresses working, and should have broken out after Juno. She’s supported by Alia Shawkat as Pash, Bliss’ best friend, who has a great chemistry with Page. Not to take anything away from her performance, but it does help that Shawkat doesn’t look anything like a model. It sells her as a real person, and Ms. Shawkat does what she needs to to make the friendship work exceptionally well. The aforementioned Marcia Gay Harden is perfect as Bliss’ unsupportive mother and never gives anyone a reason to root for her. She herself has hardships, but one can’t help but feel she’s getting what she deserves in the end. Her husband Earl reminds us that Daniel Stern is still alive, and maybe he’s developed a serious bone in his body. A good turn, at that.

The Hurl Scouts (again, love the names) are led by Maggie Maven played by Kristen Wiig. For someone who’s more tuned to comedy, Wiig does a solid job with what she’s given. Also making an appearance is rapper Eve as Rosa Sparks. She’s not given too much to do, but Eve makes Rosa a presence every moment she’s on screen. Another notable Hurl Scout is Zoe Bell as Bloody Holly, taking her tough-girl persona and having loads of fun with it. Drew Barrymore herself shows up as Smashley Simpson, but serves nothing to the overall story. Although not a Hurl Scout, Ari Graynor plays Eva Destruction of the Black Widows and turns in a fine job. Andrew Wilson is Razor, the Hurl Scouts coach, who is at times goofy, at times zany, but all the time superb in his duties.

Unfortunately, there are some rotten eggs in this batch, starting with Juliette Lewis as Iron Maven, leader of the Holy Rollers. This has nothing to do with Lewis’ abilities as an actress as much as with how her character is written. She shows up only because the script says the sports aspect needs a villain and Iron Maven is essentially Lane Smith Lite. Lewis doesn’t help the character by not having the bitchy demeanor the Iron Maven would need to have. She doesn’t really get the character, and it shows. Also unflattering is Jimmy Fallon as the Master of Ceremonies. Unlike Lewis, he gets the character and takes him completely overboard in his dorkiness and general annoyance. If memory serves, there’s a scene where people boo him and throw stuff at him, making the movie audience wish they could do the same.

With Whip It, the positives outweigh the negatives and Barrymore, again, gives a very solid first effort. In fact, it’s a promising start to a new career turn for her and there’s no doubt she’ll learn from her small mishaps here and improve them as she grows and expands upon what she’s already capable of doing. The same goes for Ellen Page, although she doesn’t misstep in this movie and really has yet to. Whip It may not accomplish all of its ambitious goals, but it does personify girl power and when it’s all said and done, is entertaining. And really, isn’t that what sports movies are supposed to be?

Rating: ★★★☆☆ 

Watch out for the hot wax!

Terminator Salvation director McG, wants no part of another Charlie’s Angels movie. Is he tired of glam shots and ways to get his female leads into slut gear? Probably not, but the man behind bringing the cult ’70s TV show to your local cineplex is more interested in robots.

“I’m trying to grow and work in genres that I’m most comfortable working in,” McG said during a recent Terminator Salvation round-table. “I got started in Charlie’s Angels, and I wish them every success with another sequel. But these are the films that I grew up feeling very passionate about: The Terminator. Blade Runner. The Kubrick pictures.”

The rumor machine has been churning since Drew Barrymore appeared interested in doing another sequel to 2000′s Charlie’s Angels. When asked a direct question about a third round of scantily-clad adventures, Barrymore responded with “No, they said you should do a Charlie’s Angels III and I was like, ‘No shit. I would love to.’ Not yet on Charlie’s Angels III. It’s still incubating in all of ours hearts.”

Drew Barrymore just keeps on trucking along, keeping herself busy with role after role. The latest addition to the famed actress’ filmography will be Going The Distance, a New Line (you guessed it) romantic comedy. She will be co-starring alongside Justin Long (Zack and Miri), being part of a couple maintaining a long distance relationship when the female moves across the country to take up a teaching job in Chicago. The film will be directed by Nanette Burnstein (American Teen) and written by first-timer Geoff LaTulippe.

Barrymore recently shared the screen with actor Justin Long in the February released He’s Just Not That Into You. The movie raked in so far about $92.5 million overall. Including that with her last romantic comedy (Lucky You which made a measley 5 million), the actress/producer is quickly rising back to popularity box office wise. Barrymore and Long will appear together again on the big screen sometime in 2011. This will be her fifteenth accounted romantic comedy, if anyone is keeping count.