Review: Run Fatboy Run

Director: David Schwimmer
Screenplay: Michael Ian Black, Simon Pegg
Starring: Simon Pegg, Thandie Newton, Hank Azaria, Dylan Moran
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Running time: 100 min

I was left confused and torn on what to think when I first heard about Run Fatboy Run. On one hand, it stars the brilliant Simon Pegg, best known for movies he starred in and co-wrote with Edgar Wright such as Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead. But then I saw that it was the feature film directorial debut of David Schwimmer – yeah, that Ross dude from Friends – and was immediately left questioning if this movie was going to be worth my time and hard earned money or not. The humor of Friends couldn’t be any further away from that of what Pegg has done in his career thus far. Yet, due to my undying love of Simon Pegg, I gave him the benefit of the doubt and found myself checking it out anyway.

The movie follows a hopeless, but kind-hearted women’s clothing store security guard named Dennis (Pegg) who on the day of his wedding to his pregnant fiancée Libby (Thandie Newton), freaks out and splits just before the ceremony. Five years later, Dennis and Libby are on talking terms, but mostly for the sake of their son – although over the years Dennis has come to realize what a fool he was for running out on Libby and that she is the true love of his life. Telling him that he can never finish anything he starts, Libby refuses to take him back, partially because she’s been wooed by a rich and charming businessman named Whit (Hank Azaria). When Dennis learns of Whit’s love of running and his entrance into a marathon, the out-of-shape and chain-smoking Dennis decides he’s going to run this race as well – and prove to Libby (and maybe himself) that he has enough discipline to finish something in his life.

Sadly, if you’re looking for the Simon Pegg humor we’ve come to know and love, you’ll probably be left disappointed. Wit and subtlety are exchanged for site gags and toliet humor. If I had to wager, I’d say that Pegg did this project as a favor to Schwimmer (they became buddies while filming Big Nothing in 2006), because there is no way he found the script to this comedy more than slightly amusing - a script written by Michael Ian Black that Pegg himself actually revised and polished over a little bit before filming. Still, it’s not all bad. There are moments that I genuinely enjoyed, mostly where we can tell that Pegg did a little of his polishing. He does as great as he can with the material he’s working with.

While there are some bright spots and the movie has its fair share of chuckle-worthy moments thanks to Pegg’s natural charm and acting ability, the movie is bogged down by a formulaic story straight out of the manual for “How to Write a Conventional Romantic Comedy.” It does nothing new or special or memorable and it could easily be the story to the latest Ashton Kutcher romcom. The entire movie just left me with a “been there, done that a thousand times” feeling and just about every story point feels rehashed and predictable.

What it comes down to is that this is about as by-the-books as a romantic comedy can be. Thankfully, while the story and many of the jokes fall flat, Pegg is able to pull off a lot that lesser comedic actors wouldn’t be able to. You can certainly do far worse than Run Fatboy Run in the realm of romantic comedies, but you can do much better too. If you keep your expectations low and your mind open, you just might enjoy this. Otherwise, unless you’re a dedicated follower of Simon Pegg or have no problem having a side of predictability with your comedy, you can save this one for a rainy day.

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