There’s something rather retro about Going the Distance. At first I thought it was set in the early 1990s. Then I realized that the technology is all wrong. Nevertheless there is something very 90s-ish about this movie. It feels a lot like an episode of Friends, except somewhat dirtier.

Erin (Drew Barrymore) is sort of a lovable loser. She’s 31 years old and working as as intern at a New York newspaper while she finishes a graduate degree in Journalism. She meets Garrett (Justin Long), a clueless guy who has just been dumped by his girlfriend after committing a major relationship felony. They hit it off immediately. They’re perfect for each other. But she has to go back to San Francisco to complete her degree.

So they embark on a long distance relationship. The resulting story is just as predictable as you would expect, but it’s cheerful and upbeat and often quite funny. You could find worse ways to spend 100 minutes.