Going the Distance

What stands out first about Going the Distance is the confidence with which Mark Griffiths establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Going the Distance asks Christopher Jacot and Joanne Kelly to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Going the Distance is established with useful clarity: In order to prevent a recent high school graduate from getting engaged, two friends intervene by taking him on a cross country road trip. That direct approach lets Going the Distance use its 1h 33m running time for character, atmosphere and consequence.

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The craft of Going the Distance is defined by well judged reactions, supported by well judged reactions rather than overwhelmed by decoration. Alliance Atlantis gives Going the Distance a production framework in which performer rhythm can remain connected to story. Made from a Canada production context, Going the Distance uses setting and design to clarify mood before dialogue has to explain it. The technical finish of Going the Distance works because image, sound and editing appear to be serving the same immediate purpose.

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Christopher Jacot gives Going the Distance its most dependable performance, finding a clear emotional intention beneath the plot. Opposite Christopher Jacot, Joanne Kelly brings Going the Distance a contrasting pace that prevents the central relationship from feeling flat. Shawn Roberts widens the ensemble of Going the Distance through reactions that suggest a life beyond the immediate scene. Mark Griffiths serves the cast of Going the Distance best when a look or pause is allowed to finish before the story moves on.

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Going the Distance benefits from Mark Griffiths being engaging in bursts but unable to maintain the same control about what each sequence needs to accomplish. Instead of making every beat equally loud, Mark Griffiths lets Going the Distance create contrast between pressure and release. Worthwhile ideas compete with an uneven structure throughout Going the Distance, with the strongest decisions feeling connected to character rather than display. It is still fair to say that Going the Distance suffers because the pace alternates between hurry and drift, but the problem remains contained.

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Beneath its plot, Going the Distance is most interested in embarrassment, status and the gap between confidence and reality. That concern becomes visible through Christopher Jacot, whose choices allow Going the Distance to explore an idea without stopping for a speech. The central character gives the themes of Going the Distance a concrete dramatic form rather than leaving them abstract. The emotional value of Going the Distance grows whenever Mark Griffiths trusts the audience to connect behaviour with the larger question.

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At story level, Going the Distance turns the central character and an important relationship into the source of its main tension. The role played by Christopher Jacot becomes the viewer's route through Going the Distance, especially when a difficult choice begins to alter the situation. Eric Goodman gives Going the Distance momentum by allowing choices to create consequences instead of treating each scene as isolated information. Even when the wider conflict pushes the plot toward familiar ground, Going the Distance remains attentive to what that pressure means for its characters.

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Taken as a whole, Going the Distance is a qualified recommendation for comedy fans who respond to personality and timing. Going the Distance leaves its strongest impression through well judged reactions, the work of Christopher Jacot and a clear understanding of tone. The limitations around how the pace alternates between hurry and drift should be acknowledged, but they do not erase what Going the Distance does well. I would return to Going the Distance for its personality and its willingness to connect genre pleasure with recognisable feeling.