Going the Distance 2010

Erin Langford is a graduate journalism student who lands a summer internship at a New York City newspaper. One night at a bar, she meets Garrett, who interrupts her Centipede game. They drink together and end up at his place, where they smoke marijuana and have sex while Garrett’s roommate Dan DJs their hookup. The next morning, before she can leave, Erin agrees to have breakfast with him. Telling him she is only in the city for six weeks, they agree to keep it casual.

Erin and Garrett soon develop real feelings for each other, and she tries to get a permanent position at the paper. Working for a record label, Garrett is assigned to manage a band he dislikes, and he begins to hate his job.

When Erin’s six weeks are over, she and Garrett find it difficult to let go. After driving her to the airport and saying goodbye, Garrett runs after her, admitting that he is crazy about her and wants to have a long-distance relationship, to which she agrees.

Over the following months, Erin and Garrett spend their free time trying to figure out when they can see each other. He gives her a surprise visit on Thanksgiving. After an emotional reunion, they go to Erin’s sister Corinne’s house, where she is staying, and start to have passionate sex on the dining room table. Unbeknownst to them, Erin’s brother-in-law Phil is having dinner, and Corinne walks in on the awkward scene. The next day, they see The Boxer Rebellion perform, but Garrett is jealous Erin is friends with Damon, Damon, a handsome bartender, and eventually has to return to NYC.

In January, Erin calls her former boss, but they are not hiring. Unable to find comfort in a phone conversation with Garrett, she gets drunk with Damon and almost kisses him, but goes home. Her professor recommends her for a position at the San Francisco Chronicle and she goes for an interview. Garrett tries to have phone sex with Erin, but it ends up being awkward, leaving both feeling ridiculous.

A month later, while Erin is packing for a weekend in NYC, she gets a call from the Chronicle and is offered the job. Upon arriving in New York, she tells Garrett about the job offer, blindsiding him with the news. Their happy reunion quickly devolves into a fight, causing Erin to spend the first night of her trip at a friend’s. They make up the next day, and he calls her a week later saying he wants her to move to NYC, live together and start afresh. She agrees, but while visiting San Francisco to sort things out, a conversation with Corinne makes Garrett realize he should not be the reason Erin turns down the job, and they part ways after an emotional conversation and a long hug at the airport.

Six months later, Erin’s career is going well, having written her first front-page story. Garrett has not been with anyone since her, and quits his job to manage The Boxer Rebellion. He sends Erin tickets to their show and she goes, unaware he is the band manager. At the concert he reveals he has moved to Los Angeles, only several hours from San Francisco, and they seize another chance at a relationship. Late that night they go back to Corinne’s, interrupting her and Phil dry humping on the dining room table. The film ends as Erin’s niece, Maya, enters during the awkward moment, and they all scream

Maya! Statue!

to freeze.