Run Fatboy Run [M]

Love. Commitment. Responsibility. There is nothing Dennis won’t run away from. After leaving his pregnant fiancé at the altar, life takes a downhill turn for Dennis. Upon discovering that his ex has a new man in her life, he becomes determined to prove that he is a changed man. By learning that this guy is planning to run a huge charity marathon, Dennis decides to run the marathon too and prove to everyone that he can actually finish something. Heroic gesture or huge mistake?

I’d seen this film once before and remember really liking it. I rented it out a second time for my Dad, because I knew that this is the type of film that he’d like. I was right.

Dennis is a man who never finishes anything and runs away from everything. After leaving his pregnant fiancé at the altar, his life takes a downhill turn. Upon learning that Libby, his ex, has a new man in her life, Dennis becomes determined to prove that he can change for the better. During an attempt to get to know and like the guy, Dennis learns that he will be running in a huge charity marathon and with this knowledge in mind, Dennis concocts a plan to run the same marathon and, by so doing, prove to everyone that he is not a loser. But running a huge marathon when you’re terribly unfit just to get a chance of winning your ex back proves to be more tiring and challenging than Dennis ever imagined.

This is wonderful British humour. Very clever and witty, but with a strong story and strong underlying messages about determination and what you can accomplish by setting your mind to it. Simon Pegg is Dennis and he was great. He also wrote the screenplay for the film. He was clever, angry, and at certain points even disgusting, but all in a very funny and hugely entertaining way.

The cast seemed to be made up of actors from British TV shows that have all worked together at some point. Throughout the film we see familiar faces such as Dylan Moran from Black Books, who worked with Simon on Shaun Of the Dead, David Walliams from Little Britain, and Stephen Merchant from Extras. Also in the mix, you’ll find Thandie Newton and Hank Azaria (who we all know provides many voices in The Simpsons). I have to say that it was really refreshing watching Hank play a character that wasn’t over-the-top and needed some form of outrageous accent like in The Birdcage, Along Came Polly, Mystery Men or Night At the Museum 2. In this flick he just played an American and good for him. Rock on Hank!

With a very clever script and a lot of “scrotal zone” chaffing, Run Fatboy Run was a very funny film that will have you gasping and panting along with the hero.