Link: http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?z9mecuzmzy4

I just read Going the Distance.

I picked this from the list that Why One posted in the structure thread, basically because it was a comedy and it had the name Justin Long attached to it...I like him, so I thought why not?

Very quick plot summary: this is a romcom (at least R-rated, there's nudity, drug use, plentiful swearing here) about a guy called Garrett and a girl called Erin. Garret's worried that he's lost his faith in relationships due to the recent divorce of his parents. Having just dumped his fifth girlfriend that year, he bumps into Erin, a middle-school teacher preparing to leave LA to return to her native town of Chicago. The two click and suddenly Garrett, who was about to give up on the whole business altogether, finds himself not only in a relationship, but one that stretches over two time-zones. Will Garrett and Erin's love survive the distance between them? Will someone at Garrett's office FINALLY notice the good job he's been doing? Will Erin lose her job? Will Dan ever be able to spell 'literally'? All will be revealed...

Okay, so I can't do plot summaries.

This was VERY funny. I laughed throughout, not just smiles and chuckles but proper rolling-in-the-aisle laughs. Dan's quest to expand his vocabulary, the unfortunate scene where Phil finds himself in the wrong place in the wrong time...they were the two biggest laughs for me, but pretty much every joke hit home. The strike rate here is phenomenal. It's a great mix of visual humour and word-jousting, and though things get a little crude at times the whole thing has a light-hearted, affectionate tone to it that completely carries it through.

There's no 'antagonist' here - in fact, the distance that separates Garrett and Erin is the problem-causer - which you'd think wouldn't work. But it completely does. Damon hovers in the background, Dan the goofball, Box the detached, know-it-all friend...they're all pitched pretty much to perfection. Garret and Erin are likeable, amusing protags. They grow throughout the film. By the end they're a lot happier than when they started, and they have fun along the way. The ending isn't what you'd expect, but feels completely right.

(I'm fully aware I'm gushing here, by the way.)

Interestingly, as I read this I pictured Justin Long as Garrett and Drew Barrymore as Erin. Barrymore I'm not 100% sure about...she's 10 years too old for the part, to start with. But Justin Long IS Garrett. From the first Christmas-break up onwards, I could TOTALLY imagine him saying the lines, and me laughing as he said them. I also (for the benefit of anyone else who reads this) imagined Vince Vaughn as Ron. I know this probably isn't the ideal way to analyse a script, since when it was written Garrett would just have been Garrett, not Justin Long...but there you go.

Final point I want to make is about how this script adheres to the so-called 'rules'. It doesn't. Action paragraphs are frequently more than 5 lines long. Specific songs are referenced throughout. And you know what? It's probably the easiest, most enjoyable read I've ever had. The writing style here is great, because this is actually MORE than just a visual guide to what the movie will look and sound like; by writing the way he does, the author manages to convey what the movie will FEEL like, too.

Take the opening scene: one of the action paragraphs is simply "Fuck you, no." I'd never have the balls to write that. But it captures the moment much more succintly and effectively than any blow-by-blow description of Garrett's reaction would. At a couple of times the writer talks directly to us, the reader. Now that HAS to be frowned upon, and yet the thing's so much fun that I didn't care. In fact, I appreciated it. Made me feel more involved. I've actually learned a lesson from this script: the way the action is written can be so important to how the read feels, just as important as the dialogue. The style is comedic, and so the effect is you're not just waiting for the next funny piece of dialogue, annoyed that the flow has been broken up by some descriptions. It's all one fluid, amusing read. The lesson is this: you have to tell your story to the reader, in the best and most effective way possible. DOING IT is the important bit, not exactly HOW you do it.

This script wouldn't win any awards for originality, but not only can I imagine this onscreen, I eagerly await its release. I notice this is supposedly just a first draft, and I imagine that some of the cruder stuff (particularly the more graphic sex scenes) won't make it through unscathed into the final film. But if it's half as funny as it was when I read it, I'll really enjoy it.

So, basically: yeah, I liked it. Double thumbs up from me!

(Now I wait for someone to come along and tear it apart...)

Hey Jonnyboy. This script is as awesome as you say. It is rated 9 out of 25 of the favorite sold scripts at the ShadowScript web site that bert so highly recomends. I've read two other scripts off this site "Everything Must Go" and "The F Word". These scripts read so well, it's almost better than seeing the movie!

Gary

I read this a couple weeks ago and agree that it is really funny. There's some great dialogue in here and the lead female character gets some great lines which is fairly uncommon I'd say. The Justin Long character appears to be a real dick when first introduced though, I wouldn't say that he is all that likeable until later on in the script.

Yeah like a lot of other scripts that get produced, there are plenty of things that go against 'the rules'. I think it shows that it's more important to get the story across strongly, and this being a comedy, to BE FUNNY. Which it is, so who cares if the writer breaks a few rules, right?

The story itself is pretty formulaic, and I found it pretty predictable. But I think it goes for an honest ending rather than the fairytale Hollywood ending, so it works well. I think the Rob character is a little underdone and could be fleshed out a bit more, as it is I think he is in there just as convenience. Interesting that you thought of Vince Vaughn to play the part, I imagined him as being a lot more subdued. Out of all the supporting characters Dan definitely stands out the most, very distinct and funny character.

Overall thought it was really well done, maybe not as funny as a couple of others I read around the same time. '500 Days of Summer' and 'Brad Cutter Ruined My Life...Again'. Both really funny and worth a read.

Cheers,
Tim.

this sounds good, i'll check it out. I started reading Prisoners from the same site but it seemed run of the mill. Someone else reviewed it and said the same thing so i won't bother. Thw writing was good but the story had been done to death, like some old midday movie.
but this sounds great. I will post a review when done.


Have read 36 pages of this. Great stuff! Very funny lines in there. And it is written in an original way. I do have a problem with some of the dialogue-it sounds very unrealistic at times; i doubt that lovers would philosophise about their realtionship, etc.
Don't know who Justin long is, but I envisage Jason Lee in here somewhere, though he may be too old.
Dan and Box are great supports too- Dan's line about only listening till Garret's an inch in? Stupendous! I don't like rom-coms but this is better than the average one so far.