Five years ago, Dennis Doyle (Simon Pegg) panicked and left his pregnant bride, Libby (Thandie Newton), at the altar. Now, Dennis and Libby have established a cordial relationship that allows Dennis to regularly see his son, Jake (Matthew Fenton.) Dennis would like to get back together with Libby but she has a new boyfriend, Whit (Hank Azaria), an American who is everything that Dennis is not: rich, responsible, and physically fit.
Whit is set to take part in the Nike River Run, a marathon held on the banks of the Thames River in London. Dennis wants to show Libby that he’s just as good a man as Whit and enters the race despite the fact that he’s out of shape, smokes heavily, and doesn’t even own a pair of running shoes. He has three weeks to train for the 26.2 mile run. The sheer insanity of this decision prompts Gordon (Dylan Moran), his gambling best friend, to bet everything he has on Dennis finishing the race. As such, Gordon becomes Dennis’ trainer — determined to make sure he doesn’t run away from his commitment to the marathon like he did his pregnant bride.
At first glance, Run, Fatboy, Run, might seem like it’s just another romantic comedy but, thanks to a fairly clever script by Michael Ian Black and Simon Pegg, the movie maintains an emphasis on comedy more so than romance. Further contributing to the film’s comedic aspirations are the performances of Pegg, who most American audiences know from Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, and Hank Azaria, who’s probably best known for his voice work on “The Simpsons.” Pegg plays the lovable loser type quite well and Azaria is equally good at playing the smarmy American.
Unfortunately, Run, Fatboy, Run attempts to derail itself now and again. For example, there are some awful attempts at gross-out humor, including an uncomfortable rash and an oversize blister that appear to have been transplanted from a Farrelly Brothers film. Overall, though, the movie’s lighthearted tone and feel-good message outweigh the occasional comedic missteps.
Friends alumnus David Schwimmer makes his directorial debut and he does a respectable job of keeping things moving along and not allowing the film to get bogged down in the usual romantic comedy trappings even though the film contains all the necessary ingredients to do so.
Run, Fatboy, Run is a likable, if ultimately forgettable, comedy that’s definitely worth a shot if you’re looking for some lightweight entertainment.
3.5 out of 5.0 stars
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