Friday, February 10, 2017

Run Fatboy Run

"Run Fatboy Run" starts awkwardly, never really gaining a strong footing in establishing Dennis (played by Simon Pegg) as someone you would find sympathetic enough to root for in this somewhat bland comedy about a guy who runs out on his wedding (pregnant bride and all) 5 years ago, and becomes competitive when a new suitor (Whit played by Hank Azaria) shows up for the mother (Libby played by Thandie Newton) of his child (Jake) and somewhat compels Dennis into running an upcoming marathon to prove his worth. Tonally, the film is a mix bag of decent comedy bits in few spots, but sags for most of the running time, and overall, it never really comes together well.

David Schwimmer (Ross from "Friends") directs this film, and does an average job, but isn't able to elevate the script (by Michael Ian Black, best known as Phil Stubbs on "Ed", and Simon Pegg) for most of its running time, and this results in a hodge-podge of scenes that leaves the film disjointed and uninvolving. If you're a fan of Simon Pegg and his films, I'd recommend an afternoon matinee viewing at best.

I give it 2 stars or a grade of C.

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