Run Fatboy Run

Starring: Simon Pegg, Hank Azaria, Thandie Newton, Matthew Fenton
Directed by: David Schwimmer
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy, Romance
2007

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A man (Simon Pegg) decides to run a marathon with virtually no training, in an effort to win back his ex-fiancee (Thandie Newton) and show his son (Matthew Fenton) that he is more of a hero than his ex's new boyfriend (Hank Azaria).

Review:

Tim: I go back and forth in my mind about this movie. On the one hand, there is something very appealing about watching a loveable loser trying to run a 26.2 mile marathon with virtually no training. This idea is wonderful and absurd, and the film is brilliant in how it handles the actual race. I found myself impressed with this. However, the rest of the movie is a letdown.

Simon Pegg is generally a very likeable guy. He gives a good performance here, and he is enjoyable, both as a potbelly loser, and also as a dad willing to go to any length for his family. I really liked him in this movie. Thandie Newton is okay, but doesn't really offer too much. Hank Azaria is good in his own way, and I enjoyed the interplay between he and Pegg. The rest of the cast are all decent.

This is David Schwimmer's directorial debut. I will give him some credit for not giving us a completely awful movie, but you can tell this film isn't from a master director. There are a number of weaknesses and flaws in the movie that a great director would have fixed. The most visible example of this is the film's conclusion. The script sets up perfectly for an emotional, powerful ending. Inexplicably, just when the movie is primed to deliver its most powerful blow, it lets the moment go. The movie's ending could have been a classic, amazingly memorable one. Instead, the movie fizzles out, and we're left with only the disappointment that comes from witnessing a lost opportunity. For this reason, the movie isn't very good at all. Instead, it is a what-if. This movie could have been so much more than it was.

Run Fatboy Run teases us with a few good moments before it ultimately lets us down. I have never been much of a David Schwimmer fan, but I will say that his directorial debut features just enough promise to make me think that with effort, Schwimmer could be a good director one day. However, the idea of promise isn't the same as being an effective director today, and for that reason, this movie fails us.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 5.5



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