NANETTE BURSTEIN

Bil’s rating (out of 5):  BBBB.

USA, 2010.  New Line Cinema, Offspring Entertainment.  Screenplay by Geoff LaTulippe.  Cinematography by Eric Steelberg.  Produced by Jennifer Gibgot, Garrett Grant, Adam Shankman.  Music by Mychael Danna.  Production Design by Kevin Kavanaugh.  Costume Design by Catherine Marie Thomas.  Film Editing by Peter Teschner.  

Surprisingly charming romantic comedy that aims to step outside the usual boundaries of the genre and actually manages to pull that off.  Drew Barrymore visits New York from Los Angeles to do an internship at a newspaper; while in the city she meets Justin Long and the two hit it off immediately. When her job is over and she has to go back to the west coast they initiate a torturous long-distance relationship challenged by insecurity and loneliness, broken up only by the occasional visit of one to the other (including a reunion on a dinner table with a blisteringly funny outcome). Christina Applegate contributes a terrific supporting performance as Barrymore’s protective sister in a film notable not only for its winsome moments of comedy, benefiting much from the chemistry between the breezily natural stars, but also for its ability to embrace the harsher aspects of the story without ever getting trite about them. Director Nanette Burstein makes a surprising leap to fiction films after much success with documentaries, and perhaps this is what gives the film more of a boost than you can usually expect from the experience.