My Film Review For- Run Fatboy Run

Run Fatboy Run: 2.5/5

If you’ve seen Shaun of the dead and/or Hot fuzz then you probably know about Simon Pegg. Simon Pegg will probably be the next big comedic star in Hollywood .He continues his comedy streak with Run Fatboy Run, A British comedy about a man named Dennis ,who five years ago, got cold feet and left his pregnant fiancée Libby (Thandie Newton) at the altar just when they were about to marry .Now in present day London, Dennis discovers that Libby’s has moved on and has hooked up with a healthy and handsome American named Whit (Hank Azaria). He realizes that he must act quickly in order to win back his family. He decides to enter a marathon( like Whit) to show Libby that he’s more than a quitter and hopes by doing this he will regain his family.Yes!, a plot that could only exist in Hollywood film. When coming into Run Fatboy Run , I was prepared to laugh my ass off and go rolling down the aisle…and why wouldn’t I be? We had Simon Pegg from such funny previous movies, David Schwimmer (the director of the flick) from the tv series friends, and Hank Azaria from the animated series The Simpsons… I was sure to expect a “runaway” hit….. but I was wrong. Yes, as a whole , the film did pull out a few chuckles and laughs out of me. However, the film itself just wasn’t funny or interesting enough for me to give a strong recommendation. Many of the jokes here fall flat or dry. With many uninteresting secondary characters like Dennis’s fat Indian Landlord Mr. Ghoshdashtidar ,his daughter, or even Whit himself, who plays a one-note “villain-type” man who is neither funny or appealing . Libby is charming but lacks any chemistry with the main character Dennis, as a weak supporting role. Most of these secondary characters don’t add to the comedy of the film but seem to do just the opposite. The film is filled with unfunny slap-stick and physical humor that would even make Monty Python cringe. I guess the main problem is that the film is its PG-13 rating.I felt that film played to “safe’ with very minor crude and unfunny moments and innuendos. The film even goes far enough to actually bleep out a few curse words….that’s right ….bleep out!!!…am I watching a movie or cable television? The entire plot is also an exercise of every chestnut romantic -comedy plot; Loser Dad ,who might lose his family, if he doesn’t go do something drastic. We have seen it all before, in TV and on film. Despite, the shortcomings of the films characters and plot, Simon Pegg is able to this carry film. I feel that had Dennis been played by a different actor , the film probably would have been a total mess, but Dennis manages to be lovable and funny , and plays it straight as an underdog we can all root for from beginning to end. The movie did have its charming and even touching moments that involve scenes with Dennis and his precocious 5 year old son, who is obsessed with Lord of the Rings. Run Fatboy Run is sweet and is done with good tasteful humor but lacks originality and is to tame and dull for today’s audience.