Spring Break
Pegg, Schwimmer team up with comical results
Schwimmer's directing debut keeps audiences entertained throughout
Brianne Tedders
Issue date: 4/4/08 Section: Diversions
Dennis likes to run. He likes to run from responsibility, commitment and anything that involves any effort. He even decides to run out on his pregnant fiancée, Libby, on the day of their wedding. Dennis hasn't done any running since.
Five years later, Dennis, played by Simon Pegg ("Shaun of the Dead," "Hot Fuzz") has settled down with a part-time job as a security guard at a woman's clothing store and has a cozy apartment in someone's basement. On weekends he gets to visit his son, Jake.
Though he still frequently sees his ex-fiancée, any romantic ties between the two of them have been severed. She is now seeing a successful American businessman named Whit, portrayed by comedian Hank Azaria, known for his work as various characters in "The Simpsons." Even though she has moved on, Dennis hasn't. When he is introduced to Whit, he finds out that Whit is an avid runner, so in an attempt to win Libby back, Dennis enters to run in a marathon for charity in which Whit is already running. As they compete in the marathon, they also compete for the love of Libby.
The script, written by comedian Michael Ian Black ("Stella"), originally set the movie in New York City, but London-based production company Material Entertainment got a hold of it and felt it would be better suited in Britain. In order to translate the story to fit British culture, director David Schwimmer ("Friends") hired Pegg (whom he worked with in film "The Big Nothing") to assist Black with the screenplay. And the scenes between Pegg and Azaria were arguably the funniest in the movie.
For Schwimmer's first attempt at directing, he did a decent job. He said of the original script, "I'd read so, so many scripts, but this was the first one which made me laugh out loud all the way through and which genuinely moved me".
The audience of this movie will be moved too. Despite its predictable ending, "Run Fat Boy Run" has a lot of heart. All of the actors did an exceptional job making their characters seem genuinely human. The movie wasn't absolutely hilarious, but I found myself chuckling whenever Pegg's character would be running in denim cutoffs with his landlord following close behind him, waving a spatula. The movie proves that with an eclectic mix of British and American talent, physical comedy and witty writing, you will at least be amused for the hour and a half that you are in the theater.
Brianne Tedders
diversions@dailybarometer.com
Five years later, Dennis, played by Simon Pegg ("Shaun of the Dead," "Hot Fuzz") has settled down with a part-time job as a security guard at a woman's clothing store and has a cozy apartment in someone's basement. On weekends he gets to visit his son, Jake.
Though he still frequently sees his ex-fiancée, any romantic ties between the two of them have been severed. She is now seeing a successful American businessman named Whit, portrayed by comedian Hank Azaria, known for his work as various characters in "The Simpsons." Even though she has moved on, Dennis hasn't. When he is introduced to Whit, he finds out that Whit is an avid runner, so in an attempt to win Libby back, Dennis enters to run in a marathon for charity in which Whit is already running. As they compete in the marathon, they also compete for the love of Libby.
The script, written by comedian Michael Ian Black ("Stella"), originally set the movie in New York City, but London-based production company Material Entertainment got a hold of it and felt it would be better suited in Britain. In order to translate the story to fit British culture, director David Schwimmer ("Friends") hired Pegg (whom he worked with in film "The Big Nothing") to assist Black with the screenplay. And the scenes between Pegg and Azaria were arguably the funniest in the movie.
For Schwimmer's first attempt at directing, he did a decent job. He said of the original script, "I'd read so, so many scripts, but this was the first one which made me laugh out loud all the way through and which genuinely moved me".
The audience of this movie will be moved too. Despite its predictable ending, "Run Fat Boy Run" has a lot of heart. All of the actors did an exceptional job making their characters seem genuinely human. The movie wasn't absolutely hilarious, but I found myself chuckling whenever Pegg's character would be running in denim cutoffs with his landlord following close behind him, waving a spatula. The movie proves that with an eclectic mix of British and American talent, physical comedy and witty writing, you will at least be amused for the hour and a half that you are in the theater.
Brianne Tedders
diversions@dailybarometer.com
Note: writers will not reply to comments.
Comments by registered users are approved by default.