Run Fatboy Run may be funnier in concept than on screen. Take Simon Pegg from Hot Fuzz fame, pair him with actor-turned-director David Schwimmer (Ross from Friends), include a villainous Hank Azaria (Moe from The Simpsons), and slap together a string of running, fat boy jokes, and the result should be a comedic gold mine. This is the kind of movie that was probably green-lit into production so quickly it could set a speed record. How could they possibly go wrong with this running fat boy concept paired with this much talent?
The movie simply doesn’t have enough humor in its engine to keep the vehicle running. The by-the-books storyline, like many recent films, feels like it was written out of a Robert McKee screenwriting seminar. The real problem is in the freshness of the jokes plopped into this storyline. Simon Pegg plays Dennis, an insecure man who left his pregnant fiancée Libby (Thandie Newton) at the altar. Five years later, he’s still trying to get her back, but she’s moving on with her life. She’s falling for the wealthy and seemingly perfect Whit (Hank Azaria), who runs in a marathon for charity. To prove that he’s no longer lazy and conflicted, Dennis plans to run the marathon as well in the hopes of getting Libby back.
Of course, a real relationship would never be determined by one’s ability to complete a marathon, so the movie has to come up with several subplots to keep Dennis racing. The movie supplies a couple of misfit trainers and slapstick montages, but soon we realize that this movie adds nothing new to the underdog comedy. There are a few chuckles, but nothing like the comedic wit of the Simon Pegg comedies Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead.
Surprisingly, the best thing about Run Fatboy Run is its tenderness. Most of the laughs fail, but the small exchanges between Pegg and Newton are extremely effective. The tender moments between these actors show how much they can still shine with bad material. Great material doesn’t always test the strength of an actor, but bad material always does. These actors manage to make it past the finished line despite this handicap.
Run Fatboy Run is rated PG-13 for some rude and sexual humor, nudity, language and smoking.
