Once again, I had run out of films to watch on my DVD rentals service, so I decided that I'd sit there for a while and look at all the recommendations they were giving me. Most of them didn't appeal but when I saw that Run, Fatboy, Run was on the list, I remembered seeing funny trailers on the television for it, and decided that it was going to be the next film I'd see. My fiance didn't want to watch it, but I eventually persuaded him to, so the two of us sat together to watch last weekend.
Dennis Doyle is all set to marry his pregnant fiancee Libby, but gets cold feet at the last minute and runs off, telling everyone he isn't ready for marriage. Five years later, Dennis is working as a security guard, visiting his five year old son Jake, and living with his landlord Mr Ghoshdashdidar. But when Dennis discovers Libby has a new boyfriend in the way of swanky American Whit, he decides he has to win Libby back, and enters the Nike marathon that Whit is running in. But Dennis has never stuck at anything - will he run the race? And more importantly - will he finish and win back Libby?
Right from the first few minutes of the film, I knew it was going to be incredibly funny, as both my fiance and I were laughing out loud at the first few scenes. It really is a typical modern British film, with a fantastic all English cast
(bar one of course), and David Schwimmer (Ross in Friends) has done a fantastic job with this film in his first major go at being Director. The comedy moments keep on coming throughout the film, and aren't just limited to the bits in the trailer, which is always a worry with comedy films. The film is shot in London, and Schwimmer has really captured London's image and essence beautifully, with some great aerial shots and location choices.
The cast were simply fantastic, led by the superbly hilarious Simon Pegg who plays loser Dennis. Pegg has this comedy quality which just makes me smile the whole time he is on screen, and he portrays dopey Dennis fantastically, giving him false confidence yet you can sense a softer side towards Libby in his performance. He is great with Thandie Newton who plays Libby, but his best scenes in the film are with Harish Patel who plays the hilarious landlord Mr Ghoshdashdidar, and Dylan Moran who plays his best mate Gordon. Pegg seems to click with everyone he works with on screen, and pulls off dead pan comedy just perfectly.
Patel and Moran have a good amount of on screen time, and are perfectly hilarious as Dennis' coaches in preparing him for the marathon. Moran, in particular, is fantastic as Gordon, and a scene involving a blister in the film is one of his and Pegg's best - hilarious yet absolutely disgusting! Newton is lovely as gentle English lady Libby who obviously resents Dennis but still can't help but feel something toward him. And Hank Azaria is brilliantly cast as Whit, Libby's new beau who is fiercly competitive and wants to ensure Dennis won't finish the race.
I wasn't really sure what to expect from this film, but I was given a lot of laughs, and a great storyline. As I said, the cast have been chosen perfectly, with a real eclectic group of people that create maginificent comedy on-screen, and Schwimmer has done a great job with directing this movie, with a load of British humour in there too. Schwimmer clearly has the knack for comedy, and comedy timing and this comes across throughout the entire film - there wasn't long between laughs and they were all perfectly done as well.
The scenes involving the marathon were all very well done, as marathons are somewhat of an important institution in England, and the filmmakers have been careful not to ridicule the idea of a marathon. Olympic gold medal winner Denise Lewis features briefly in the film as commentator, adding some realism to the scenes, and the crowd scenes are great, making the marathon highly believable. This is where the nature of the film changes slightly - it goes from being somewhat ridiculous comedy to a more serious plot, but this really does work. Dennis really transforms as a character right up until the end, and even I had a tear in my eye right near the end. It's superbly done, and is great to watch.
Pegg really does carry this film by himself for the entire length of the film, pulling off the gags with perfection and such great comedy acting you just can't help but laugh! Dennis is a great character, and Pegg just completely embraces him and lets the storyline move around him, with the rest of the cast backing him up. It's a great plot too, a loser trying to win back the love of his life in a big race against her new man, with Azaria's performance striking the balance excellently between hilarious and psychotic! I didn't expect it to be that great, but it really was. I didn't stop laughing from start to finish, and neither did my fiance, he loved it so much he wants to buy it now! It's a great British flick, with a fab cast and a director who has managed to really grab the essence of the film.
Directed by David Schwimmer, written by Michael Ian Black and Simon Pegg. The film was released in September 2007, and has a certificate of 12A. Running time is 100 minutes. You can buy the DVD on Amazon for £6.48.
Main Cast: Simon Pegg ... Dennis Doyle Thandie Newton ... Libby Odell Hank Azaria ... Whit Dylan Moran ... Gordon Harish Patel ... Mr. Goshdashtidar India de Beaufort ... Maya Goshdashtidar Matthew Fenton ... Jake
Thank you for reading!
Pictures of Run, Fat Boy, Run (DVD)
Poor old Dennis
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Comedy - Director: Tony Dow - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: John Challis, David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst, Tessa Peake-Jones, Gwyneth Strong
Comedy - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Tessa Peake-Jones, Buster Merryfield, David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst
Comedy - Director: Richard Boden, Mandie Fletcher, Martin Shardlow - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Hugh Laurie, Miranda Richardson, Stephen Fry, Brian Blessed, Tim McInnerny, Tony Robinson, Rowan Atkinson
Jun 28th, 2008
exceptional by (5%):
very helpful by (95%):
