Run, Fatboy, Run – Review

Reviews, Theatrical Reviews

Laugh, fat boy, laugh!

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Image Courtesy of IMPawards.com

Director: David Schwimmer
Notable Cast:
Simon Pegg, Thandie Newton, Hank Azaria, Dylan Moran

Simon Pegg has slowly but surely become a bigger presence in the American comedic scene after being a success in his native Britain in both television and on the silver screen. After Shaun of the Dead received strong reviews and developed a cult following, he has developed from being a niche star to an emerging comedic talent. After last year’s Hot Fuzz showed his ability to play the straight man, and stealing the spotlight in the third Mission: Impossible film a year prior, Pegg is back on the big screen in a starring vehicle with Run, Fatboy, Run.

Dennis (Pegg) walked out on his fiancée Libby (Thandie Newton) five years ago; it would be more appropriate to say he ran out, as he high-tailed it from the ceremony and sprinted away from his pregnant intended. When we find him five years after the event, he’s out of shape and working as a security guard with a contentious relationship with the mother of his child. She’s seeing someone who’s the polar opposite of Dennis in Whit (Hank Azaria). He’s a workout freak with a high paying job and a great apartment. Prompted by a seeming desire get Libby back and complete the family he once thought he wanted, Dennis decides to do something crazy in competition with Whit: run a marathon. What happens from there is a quirky British comedy that follows the conventions of an underdog tale but manages to be markedly funny in the process.

It’s weird to think of Ross from “Friends” as a director, but Schwimmer equips himself admirably in his first time behind the camera. The film doesn’t try to do anything special or reinvent the genre, and Schwimmer wisely avoids trying to get cute with any aspect of the film. He’s comfortable with the material and develops everything at a good-moving pace. He’s comfortable with the material and lets his actors do their jobs with it; it’s refreshing to let him let the story unfold at its own pace as opposed to moving it quicker than it should. He shows the sort of resolve a veteran hand would have with the material. It doesn’t hurt that Schwimmer has Pegg in the lead role, which seems nearly perfect for him.

Pegg is a brilliant comedian when given the right material. You wouldn’t see him succeed with the sorts of material that makes Luke Wilson, Ben Stiller, Will Ferrell, or any other top American comedic actor succeed with, obviously, but Dennis is the perfect character for Pegg. Dennis is the kind of guy you know has a lot of potential to do something with his life, he just doesn’t have his act together, and Pegg brings out the charm for what could be an unlikable character. We cheer for Dennis to succeed and to run the marathon because of Pegg; the character in almost any other hands would leave a sour taste in the mouth but he manages to make Dennis a likable protagonist in spite of the character’s inherent detestability. Dennis isn’t a likable guy, but Pegg brings out his inner qualities that make us root for him.

The film’s script is also very tight, as well. Pegg, who gave it a polish, obviously has a leg up in the production but the script itself is markedly funny all around. There are plenty of great chuckles, including one where Pegg scratches himself in an inappropriate area in an inappropriate way in a hilarious manner, but the film has a lot of heart as well. The characters are well developed, holding up to anything the Apatow bunch has produced as of late, and the film never ceases to bring the comedy whenever needed. It’s a shot in the arm for comedy in 2008, which has been sorely lacking so far.

FINAL RATING (ON A SCALE OF 1-5 BUCKETS):