Run Fatboy Run

The directorial debut of former Friends star David Schwimmer, Run Fatboy Run casts Simon Pegg as Dennis – a likeable schlub whose life takes a turn for the worse following an ill-fated decision to run out on his pregnant fiancee (Thandie Newton’s Libby). Five years later, Dennis, in a last-ditch effort to win Libby back, embarks on a quest to prove his worth by signing up for a grueling marathon (in which he’ll compete against Libby’s successful new boyfriend, Hank Azaria’s Whit). Run Fatboy Run certainly gets off to a promising start, with Pegg delivering as subtle (and distinctly hilarious) a performance as one might’ve expected and Schwimmer effectively moving the proceedings along at a brisk pace. But there comes a point at which the more conventional elements within Pegg and Michael Ian Black’s screenplay become oppressive and eye-rollingly overt, ensuring that the whole thing eventually devolves into a mess of sentimental cliches (eg Azaria’s Whit, established as a nice guy, ultimately reveals himself to be a scummy jerk). The inclusion of several distinctly over-the-top bits of physical comedy certainly doesn’t help matters, and there’s just no denying that, despite its few positive attributes, Run Fatboy Run ultimately establishes itself as yet another hopelessly paint-by-numbers romantic comedy.

** out of ****