Run, Fatboy, Run
Friday, 07 Sep 2007 16:45
Run, Fatboy, Run delivers a typical loveable loser role from Simon Pegg
Directed by David Schwimmer, out September 7th in cinemas, starring Simon Pegg, Thandie Newton, Dylan Moran and Hank Azaria, running time 95 minutes..
In a nutshell…
Pegg runs for his wife.
What's it all about?
Five years after leaving his pregnant fiancee Libby (Thandie Newton) at the altar, paunchy security guard Dennis (Simon Pegg) still can't get past his mistake, though his touching relationship with their son Jake (Matthew Fenton) keeps him in her life. When Libby shacks up with the seemingly perfect Whit (Hank Azaria), Dennis decides that completing a marathon is the only way to earn some self-respect and maybe, just maybe, another shot with his one true love.
With the help of Libby's shambolic cousin Gordon (Dylan Moran) and bonkers landlord Mr Ghoshdashtidar (Harish Patel), Dennis begins a punishing training regime to try and win the most important race of his life.
Who's in it?
Continuing to enjoy the success of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, Simon Pegg continues to excel as one of the most unlikely leading men ever. His polishing job on Michael Ian Black's script means that the material plays perfectly to his strengths.
Thandie Newton puts in some typically good work, but the brittle facade that suited her roles in Crash and The Pursuit of Happyness doesn't really fit here - we rarely see the angelic side that makes Dennis so desperate to win her back. While it never reaches the heights of Pegg's partnerships with Nick Frost, Dylan Moran provides an excellent foil for Pegg's exasperation, and Harish Patel as the landlord is a comic joy, especially when armed with a spatula. The consistently-cute Matthew Fenton also deserves an honourable mention, never succumbing to the sickly sweet tendencies embraced by so many child actors.
As an example…
Dennis: "Excuse me, can I just stop you there?"
Whit: "Yes...?"
Dennis: "Oh, I don't have anything to say... I just wanted to stop you there."
Gordon: "I got you a present."
Libby: "Aww, thanks"
Gordon: "It's a CD, I hope you haven't got it. Because I don't have a receipt and I didn't exactly buy it."
Likelihood of a trip to the Oscars?
It's nothing revolutionary and were it not for some impressive directorial flourishes from David Schwimmer (showing that the obvious talents shown in Friends extend
behind the camera too), the movie could be annoyingly predictable. Though it's never going to top any 'Best Of' lists, it's still a good-hearted, wholly amiable film, less subversive or geeky than you might expect from a Pegg vehicle, but consistently funny and a great date movie.
What the others say
"Pegg pitched Shaun Of The Dead as 'Richard Curtis shot through the head'. Run, Fatboy, Run comes on more like 'Richard Curtis kicked in the nuts' - a refreshingly honest Britcom that never really threatens the ribs, but which is amiable company throughout." - Tom Ambrose, Empire
"What should be dreadfully synthetic actually plays as a pleasant time-passer, thanks to a goodly supply of one-liners, and Pegg and Newton’s facility for investing a string of hokey plot devices with genuine warmth. Formulaic, yet disarmingly enjoyable." - Trevor Johnston, Time Out
So is it any good?
While in no way groundbreaking, Schwimmer and Pegg have crafted a perfectly enjoyable little movie, with a substantially sugary core to placate female viewers who might be expecting the same sort of shtick as featured in Pegg's typically male movies. Schwimmer shows a great deal of promise behind the camera, with some ambitious framing for the more dramatic shots, while his time in Central Perk has clearly honed a keen sense of comedy.
Though it's a typical loveable loser role from Pegg, his brilliantly expressive face and gifts for slapstick shine through here and his ability to glean sympathy for a man who maybe doesn't even deserve another shot at a happy life is admirable. He manages to draw some genuine emotion from scenes that could be all-too-conventional and the authentic chemistry shared by the entire cast lifts this above the mundane. This one won't run and run, but it's got the heart to have a good crack at it.
7/10
Lewis Bazley
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