MOVIE: Run Fatboy Run

[ATF.]


Run Fatboy Run was opening this weekend, and I wanted to see it for Simon Pegg (Hot Fuzz) so I gchatted my friend Chuck, and we made plans to see it early afternoon.

The movie wasn't that good. Asides from the obvious ridiculousness of how the filmmakers portrayed the marathon and running in general (oh, it was directed by David Schwimmer... that explains it), the biggest fault of the movie was that it didn't make the lead character Dennis (Pegg) very likable.

We're supposed to cheer for him, but his childish gestures carried on too far into the movie, and there was no one to root for except for maybe Thandie Newton's Libby -- she was great -- and the little boy was cute. And I could respect Hank Azaria as a voice actor, but I'm not a fan of his; this movie didn't help him -- his character was one-dimensional and unbelievable.

The bulk of the blame for this movie has to go to the director. The characters were mishandled, and the story and look of the film were left to cliche. There were a few funny moments but just enough to maybe fill a half-hour (if you count the commercials) sitcom.