Review: Run Fatboy Run
Five years ago Dennis (Simon Pegg) made a horrible decision: he left
his pregnant fiancée Libby (Thandie Newton) at the altar. Now a sad
sack mall security officer with a smoking habit and 30 extra pounds,
Dennis finds his life lacking, but refuses to do anything about it.
Into Libby's life comes Whit (Hank Azaria), a handsome financial
wizard who is better than Dennis at everything, including
long-distance running. Dennis, feeling jealous, agrees to partake in
an upcoming marathon to prove his worth to Libby, relying on his
gambling friend Gordon (Dylan Moran, "") for support.
Trouble is, Dennis knows nothing about running, leaving his training a
brutal learning process and a test of commitment.
Co-written by Simon Pegg and Michael Ian Black, it's unsettling at
first to observe how wacky a picture "Fatboy" (IMDb listing) is. Schwimmer has a
heavy burden to bear with this screenplay, which overflows with
combative situations of outright farce, but he proves himself capable
of arranging big screen comedy. It's not an outstanding effort, but a
tricky script like "Fatboy" needs someone willing to flow along with
the lunacy, and Schwimmer doesn't fight this circus of fears and
humiliation in the least.
"Fatboy" is really top notch when it concentrates on silly situations
and the myriad of befuddled reactions Pegg and Moran provide. They are
an amazing pair of actors, and their interplay gets the material up
and moving, hurdling the often needless pit stops of gross-out humor
(a splendid blister joke is ruined by a pus-drenched punchline) and
the eventual plunge into one-dimensional screenwriting. Schwimmer is
wise to keep his camera trained on Pegg at all times, as the actor can
make any sequence worthwhile with his unexpected, jittery retorts and
reactions. It's an iffy character to play, since, even with full
acknowledgement of legitimate fears, Dennis is a bastard. Pegg's
interpretation here is miraculous in getting the audience to
comprehend his damaging decisions, and Schwimmer's direction
reinforces the funny.
There's a wealth of smiles watching Dennis gear up for his
marathon debut and the general tightening of his life while dueling
with Whit and his surface perfection. Again, Pegg really gives 100% to
the character, and the results are a gas. Problems arrive when Pegg
and Black want the audience to feel something for Dennis' struggles,
going about it the wrong way by backing up the melodrama truck and
dumping noxious heartache all over the final act. Pegg's performance
is strong enough to convey Dennis' regret, it doesn't need to be
underlined, and I detested how the script turns Whit from a believable
rival to moustache-twirling villain; the film loses itself to annoying
pandering qualities in a desperate last-chance grab to appeal to all
audiences instead of intelligent ones. "Run Fatboy Run" is too rich
with potential to be fussing around so carelessly with cliché.
Filmfodder Grade: B