With Simon Pegg’s newest film Run Fatboy Run, Pegg ditches the hilarious parodies like Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz that made him popular in the states, and attempts to make an original and unique romantic comedy. Thankfully, his brand of comedy translates well into his newest venture.
Pegg plays Dennis, a women’s clothing store security guard, who runs away from his pregnant fiancé, played by Thandie Newton of Crash and The Pursuit of Happyness, on their wedding day and his newfound responsibilities. Five years later, he realizes his huge mistake when his ex-fiance becomes involved with Whit, a seemingly too perfect boyfriend performed by Hank Azaria of TV’s The Simpsons, and decides to fix the horrible mistake he made and get back his girlfriend and his five year old son. To do this, the out-of-shape Dennis decides to take Whit on in a 26.2 marathon. Not only is Dennis running towards the finish line, but unbeknownst to him, he is also running towards the maturity he ran away from for so long.
While Pegg may not seem like an ideal romantic lead, his role as the lovable loser Dennis adds a level of depth that Pegg has not had in previous roles. Azaria is also deliciously evil as the films antagonist. But the real scene-stealers are Dylan Moran as Gordon and Harish Pate as Mr. Ghoshdashtidar, who are Dennis’ trainers for the big race. Their characters add to the already overwhelming cast of adorable characters.
Run Fatboy Run shows the combined comedic prowess of Pegg, director David Schwimmer or TV’s “Friends” and Michael Ian Black of TV’s “Ed”. Together, they make an adorable and funny film, even if the last third of the film is a bit too formulaic and predictable. However, that does not take away from the sweetness of the film. If Rocky was a comedy for losers, Run Fatboy Run would be it.
Rating: B
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