Run Fatboy Run

Yes, it is predictable as anything but 'Run Fat Boy Run' is an enjoyable comedy, with Simon Pegg basically playing Shaun again as the amiable loser who comes good and wins the girl. Pegg's range is not wide but he is a very likable performer, and I personally found this film preferable to the somewhat disappointing 'Hot Fuzz'. There's also a decent supporting cast, with Dylan Moran (also from 'Shaun of the Dead') amusing as Pegg's friend and trainer, although Hank Azaria's nasty Yank love-rival character is a bit stereotypical. Director David Schwimmer, who must have become buddies with Pegg on the fairly obscure 'Big Nothing', has a blink and you'll miss him cameo towards the end.

Not in sum, but every part seems familiar. It plays like a montage of previous rom coms. There's nothing objectionable about it, but then again there's nothing memorable either. It's blurb, a schedule filler, one in the bank. Pegg and Moran just sleepwalk through the same parts that they always play, not expanding their range on iota. Pegg's cringing everyman is getting quite tired now. Thandie Newton just has to stand in doorways and look pretty. Her character is a prize, not a person. The bit parts are played by the usual assortment of jobbing British actors, also on autopilot. Azaria is the strongest actor, but isn't given much of a part. His character development goes: good, good, good... evil, with no reason given for the sudden transition. Everything about it, Schwimmer's direction included, is just... adequate. There's no snap, no pizazz, and no chemistry between any of the actors, something that becomes painfully obvious when listening to the awkward stilted commentary track. Film making by box ticking. The whole is instantly forgettable, and dreadfully disappointing given the collection of talent working on it.

The problem with Dennis, the 'fat boy' of the title, is exactly that. What is his problem? He's a loser, a scumbag and utterly unlikeable, and at no point in the film does he become a nice, likable, or sympathetic character. So it is very hard to root for someone this self-involved. At no point is he ever nasty or pathetic in a funny way, he's just a jerk. And no matter how many 'emotional' scenes are rammed in, it has been five years since he left his pregnant fiancée at the alter. FIVE YEARS of seeing her every day. How is it only NOW that he wants to do anything about it? And it doesn't matter if he does. It's been FIVE YEARS. It's too late. Luckily for him, the people he wants to win back, the dull Libby and their duller son Jake, are so flat, the audience can't care about them either. Especially Jake. And the lazy demonising of Libby's new love Whit is obvious and convenient so Dennis can worm his way back in to Libby's affections after five years of being the most detestable and unreliable jerk she could hope to meet. So, Run Fat Boy Run isn't funny. There are a couple of jokes that possibly could have worked as part of a sitcom, but never in a one-off film, but just to make it clear, this isn't funny. The serious scenes are even worse, falling horribly, uncomfortably flat, and the painful dragging out of a heart-warming ending is… not heart-warming. There is no character development or motivation, so basically there is nothing here that is needed to make a film. Dire.

"Big Nothing" was a decent collaboration, but lacked punch. RFBR is much closer the mark - classic British humour all dressed up as a good comedy sports romance movie. It looks and feels like it got Ealing Comedy in its genes - or more recently The Tall Guy from the 80's, or Steve Coogan's The Parole Officer rather than class based comedies like Four Weddings - a good small low-key British comedy, with a nice parade of eccentrics - not high concept, not too low brow, rather good old fashioned heart which it absolutely wears its heart firmly on its sleeve. David Schwimmer seems comfortable behind the camera - our favourite scene in terms of camera was the bin fight - but overall you know what genre you watching and it doesn't require too much effort to relax and enjoy. The plot is a simple one - Dennis (Simon Pegg) gets cold feet and literally bolts on his wedding day from his pregnant fiancée, Libby (Thandie Newton). Five years on, and life has not been good to Dennis, he's suffering from middle-aged spread, working as a rent-a-cop for a lingerie store, and living below his Indian landlord (A wonderful Harish Patel, who deserves lots more work based on this).When his son starts bonding with Libby's new man Whit (Hank Azurius), whose everything Dennis is not, and American to boot, Dennis realizes the relationship with Libby is what he cares about and the only way to beat Whit is to run the same marathon as him. Needless to say Dennis is as fit as beached whale, but where the heart will, the body doth follow. His best friend, and unrepentant gambler Gordon (A super cynical Dylan Moran at his absolute laid back best) urges him on, partly for financial gain, and partly, well, because he enjoys seeing Dennis flounder and succeed. Like any competent sport movie we get the training etc; but here the emphasis is on the laughs. Of course, like any romantic comedy the pay off is sweet, and uplifting. It doesn't have enough bite to lift it up to the echelons of classic comedy - but it works well as a small comedy - there are lots of sweet touches that pay off - but not enough belly laughs to really satisfy. We like it a lot - the camera tells the story really well - nothing too smart, just good narrative filming. David Schwimmer definitely knows his British films - this looks and fells straight out of the genre - and you'd never guess a Yank made it - all the nuances are there. Nice. These guys obviously like each other and we look forward to seeing more from them in the future... Recommended as a good small British comedy.

I loved this film from start to finish!!! The story, the cast, the acting, the directing all of these things are bang - on hats off to David Schwimmer i say !! This is isn't exactly the most intellectual storyline and it isn't going to change your life, but it is very entertaining Pegg at his best offering some of the funniest lines and on screen hilarity iv'e seen in a while. Plus Dylan Moran is excellent and usually i find that Stand-Up Comedians don't carry into films very well but this didn't seem a problem for Moran. the film is also riddled with cameo's from famous British Comedians! That really put the cherry on top of of this film. If you want to see and honest comedy with a very heartfelt and original script Run,Fatboy,Run is for you!!!

This was a great film and had me and the rest of the audience in stitches. Well worth seeing and for those that have seen Michael Douglas in the Running [1979] the tale will be somewhat familiar. Simon Pegg delivers the comedic moments superbly (doesn't he always?) and yet also convincingly parts a warm touch to, well, those warm touching moments in the film that he shares with his son. Harish Patel deserves a very honourable mention as Pegg's landlord-*-mentor-*-trainer. The only problem with the film was that all the way through I was waiting on Nick Frost to make at least a cameo appearance - talking of which the David Walliams scene will bring a smile to those Little Britaners out there. Great film.

I saw this at the Toronto Film Festival (film not yet on General Release in Canada) and it was Funny with a capital F. The audience received it very well - it was both humorous and moving and Peggs everyday Joe with a big heart and very human foibles was believable while bumbling, entertaining and at times driven. I don't know about most people but I go to the cinema to be entertained - I know there are problems in the world and I face them every day, and I like a bit of escapism - this is the best kind - humorous but dealing with real issues, things we don't like to admit we are afraid of - commitment, failure, our children's welfare. Well written, well directed, well acted, a really sharp film. Better than Sean, better than Fuzz :) With a Q&A session straight after the film, David Schwimmer with Simon Pegg and Thandie Newton in tow entertained the audience with their little anecdotes, - I particularly liked Thandies improv!! Well done to all involved.

Romantic comedy by numbers. It's been done before a hundred times and done better. Much better. 20 minutes in to the film you'll know how it's going to end, and it's not worth the wait. I sat in an auditorium with maybe another 50 people. I think there was only one moment when everyone gave a simultaneous chuckle. Other than that, there was an occasional snort ... although it may just have been someone blowing their nose. It's slightly impressive, given the quality of the cast, that the production amounts to such a dull procession. Definitely goes in to the 'the sum of the parts is less than the total' category. Ultimately the script is weak, the gags predictable and the directing is lumpen. Find something better to do with 95 minutes of your life.

Directed by David Schwimmer, Run Fatboy Run is a warm hearted comedy that does nothing new for the genre but merely follows in the footsteps of previous offerings. The film tells of how Dennis (Simon Pegg) runs away from his fiancé Libby (Thandie Newton) and his unborn child only to have a sense of resolve five years later (now that he's grown up). And, here's the twist, in order to prove that he is now worthy of ex-fiancés hand he embarks on an attempt at the London marathon. Regrettably any negative preconceptions of this film are confirmed from the outset, for example, in sticking firmly to genre conventions and expectation the film quickly establishes David as an unfit wimp by him being outwitted by a shop-lifting transvestite (clearly only a transvestite to elicit a smile), it also stereotypes his Pakistani landlord to the point of it being cringe worthy and it reacquaints us with the clichéd "smooth boyfriend" character - brilliantly played by Hank Azaria. The film concentrates on Dennis and the struggles and pitfalls he encounters on his quest to win back his ex-fiancé, but in doing so it tiresomely emulates the media's obsession with sporting underdogs and how they are always winners on some level. Its chosen plot is something that has been played out, many, many times in cinema and it is disconcerting to see a contemporary comedy with bright actors and a fresh director regress to such tedious story-telling. In a nutshell the film parodies modern masculine anxieties, from the worry of marriage, commitment and fatherhood to the ever more popular and relevant... "am I getting a belly". In satirising these notions the film epitomizes the generic conventions of all those films that have preceded it, from Big Daddy to the more recent Knocked Up. Run Fatboy Run is a film that could have quite easily starred Adam Sandler and have been based around the New York marathon; it tells a story that has no real relevance to its cast or locations. In addition I could imagine Hugh Grant playing the "smooth talking boyfriend". Fans of Simons Pegg's previous offerings will not enjoy this as much as Hot Fuzz or Shaun of the Dead, but will nevertheless gain some delight from the brief cameos of Stephen Merchant and David Walliams. Given that it centres around a marathon it is ironic that the film plods along at such a predictable pace, with the only sense of urgency evolving from the certainty that it has an end. There is no attempt at characterisation and the audience will not care what happens to the people on screen as no real empathy or identification with them is likely to occur. Some scenes are funny, most notably his attempt to relieve himself of his groin rash, the moment he hits the wall and a blister popping in his friends face. The laughs are there (be them sparse), but given how they're executed and placed, it is clear they are gags that have been worked into the film to help make it funnier. Unfortunately the over worked idea and the clichéd plot devices take its toll on a film that would have been better if it the characters had been more distinctive, which is a shame because given the films short comings Schwimmer does manage to evoke heartfelt performances from his leads. Finally, the trait of predictability in a film will always pull an audience, as some viewers like well-worn ideas - the very notion proves they are a success. But if you're after something similar to Peggs previous work, that's inventive or off the wall, then this film isn't it.

Now I'm not an ideal audience to review this movie. I don't like Simon Pegg, I don't find him funny and I've never enjoyed one of his films yet so this review might be just a slight tad biased against the film. I'll try my best to be objective but it won't be easy. Pegg plays Dennis who jilts his stunningly beautiful bride to be (played by Thandie Newton, is he insane?) on their wedding day. Don't you already hate him? NO? Did I mention she's heavily pregnant with his child? Do you hate him now? Yes? Good! Now I truly don't understand why they chose this title. At the start of the film he's not fat, 5 years later he's not fat either. That's just a bit of a paunch, and as he's a smoker it's not a surprise. Pegg is an exceptionally pathetic character who is hard to root for. There aren't many laughs in the film (the little boy giving Pegg the finger on the night bus is hysterical!) and the running "joke" (because it is never funny) of Pegg locking himself out of his flat isn't even funny the 1st time it happens. The whole training sequence is totally wrong. I've run 2 marathons myself and been a road runner for more than 15 years, you NEVER train by running in the middle of the road. It'll get you killed really quickly. Also for man who just had a nail jammed into his foot he isn't limping when he goes to see the Nike people. Whats even worse is he's still training in the same stupid plimsols that gave him a gigantic blister in the 2nd training sequence, I also don't see how skipping or running up steps is going to help train for running on mostly flat roads. The whole drinking raw eggs thing is a total myth too (and tastes disgusting!). I understand their parodying the original Rocky training sequence but that's only funny if your making a movie where Dennis's end goal is a boxing match, which it isn't. Now as kind as his landlord may think he's being, giving Dennis a brand new pair of running shoes less than 3 weeks before the race is a really stupid idea. He'll have no time at all to break them in, it takes at least 2 months to break in new running shoes fully. The chances of them televising a Marathon thats only in it's 1st year is pretty low to be honest, especially one that's only got 10,000 runners (that's not a very big field at all). Also them putting a drinks station away from the actual route of the race would never happen. Likewise the shots of cars behind Dennis, most Marathons keep the roads closed for at least 5 hours for slow runners & stragglers so that wouldn't just happen either. It's stupid that they wouldn't know who Dennis is, they can see his race number, its a matter of minutes to ask who registered under that number. The TV guy says Dennis broke his ankle, I'm sorry but no matter how fit you are, your not going to run even a metre on a broken ankle let alone another 9 miles like Dylan Moran told Dennis he had left to go. Anyway, the race organisers would have stopped him and pulled him off the course after a certain amount of time (especially after the report of his broken ankle) due to insurance reasons. Once Dennis spots Thandie Newton & his son past the finish line he suddenly "forgets" his broken ankle (he doesn't even limp or hobble like he was before, highly unlikely). It's never said exactly when the next scene takes place but Dennis is walking OK so I'd have to assume its at least 6 or more weeks later (thats how long a broken ankle would stay in plaster). This is an incredibly weak ending, nothing is resolved. Has Thandie left Hank Azaria? Has Dennis got his flat back? Are Dennis and Thandie getting back together? Far too many questions left unresolved. A really weak ending in a pretty bad film.