The thing about romantic comedies is that they're notoriously formulaic. And the thing about formulaic movies is that the formula can be both blessing and curse. For some, the rom com mold is like a boring old shirt: sure, we recognize the shirt, we know what to expect, but it isn't being worn in any kind of way that would make us really care about it much anymore. For others—and I'd place Going the Distance in this category—the formula is followed well, putting us in that familiar place, but it's also somehow done with a freshness that not only makes us re-appreciate the value of the formula, but makes the movie work well overall.

In the case of Going the Distance, I think the freshness is mainly due to casting, subject matter, and rating. If you like Barrymore and Long—as I do—you'll probably like this movie. The "long-distance relationship" spin on the rom com formula lends some timeliness, believability, and uniqueness to the pattern. And finally, though this movie certainly earns its R rating, and oftentimes in ways that seem unnecessary, the mature content also helpfully removes constraints from the story, from the actors, and from some comedic possibilities—constraints that I've often felt while watching your average PG-13 rom com.

Spiritually speaking, there isn't much going on here that's mind-blowingly new or insightful. Romantic comedies are supposed to extol the virtues of love and explore issues related to love. This is just what Going the Distance does, but it also seemed to me to present a fairly spiritually-aware depiction of love, coming across mainly as commitment, even self-sacrificial commitment. Barrymore and Long's relationship almost developed a pre-fall-Edenic aspect in its constant dodging of potential temptations, pitfalls, abandonment, etc., with the two always returning to the safety and happiness they have together, but not apart. At all points in the story, it's a relationship that just always assumes itself, and does so because, deep down, that's what true love is: a commitment that goes the distance, no matter what.