Documentary maker gives comedy a try in 'Going the Distance'

Filmmaker Nanette Burstein made her name in the world of documentaries by directing the Hollywood-themed "The Kid Stays in the Picture" in 2002 and "American Teen" in 2008.

This weekend, her first feature film "Going the Distance" opens. The romantic comedy stars Justin Long and Drew Barrymore.

I interviewed Burstein during a recent publicity tour to the Windy City.

Q. "Going the Distance" carries an R rating, even though most Hollywood rom-coms shoot for a more market-friendly PG-13. Why the R?A. All of the Judd Apatow movies, which are romantic comedies, are hard Rs. They've done exceptionally well. They're very funny, but they have a lot of heart to them, too. From the beginning it was our intention to make a hard-R movie. It's much more of a movie like "Knocked Up" and not like "The Proposal."Did you encounter any pressures to change the ending?A. Well, the ending was the subject of a lot of discussion. It had a much different ending in the beginning, one that wasn't right for the story. At one point we'd considered shooting two different endings. But I'm very happy with how the ending came out. I think it was the right ending.How did your experience in documentaries help you direct your first feature film?A. I was able to give an honesty and a realism that you don't normally get in a romantic comedy. My documentaries have a lot of humor in them.What's the major difference between directing a major Hollywood project vs. an independent documentary? A. There's a lot more pressure. There's a lot more money riding on it than I'm used to. There's more people to answer to. So much of it was new to me. Now that we have been through it, I know what to expect. You can figure it out as you go along very quickly, but each step was a new experience.Any surprises on set?A. We did a lot of improvisation on the film, and I guess I was surprised by how much freedom I had to try things to make it better and make it funny. I was pleasantly surprised by that.Did you have a model to guide you making "Going the Distance"?A. "Knocked Up" was totally similar to this film and was a movie I really liked. That and "Something About Mary." Comedies that have romance and that are about something and have a lot of heart, and are really funny and racy, but they win you over because you ultimately care about the characters.Did you have to reluctantly cut any scenes? A. There was a scene that I thought was very funny, but it didn't seem to work in the movie. It felt too broad, like an "SNL" skit. We ended up cutting it, but I thought it was hilarious.Can you tell me about it?A. It was extremely irreverent. Drew's character was doing a story on sort of a Make-a-Wish foundation for the newspaper. She goes to see one of the kids in the hospital and he has cancer. His dream was to perform "Fame" with a cast. So in the hospital room, he's singing "I Want to Live Forever" and bouncing around the room. The irony of the situation. Yeah, it was offensive to a lot of people.How are features better than documentaries?A. You have a lot of control in a feature. If you want to make something as funny or as poignant as possible, you don't have to leave it up to fate.