Michael Lown
BartoRun, Simon Pegg, Run
March 11th 2008 13:09
Simon Pegg saves the day in Run, Fat Boy, Run. Here stands the proof that British quirk and inexplicable charisma can overcome the obstacles presented by a deeply clichéd premise. Pegg is responsible for both these, as he in fact wrote in the British quirk when he fixed up the script, and provides the aforementioned charisma. So it could also be argued that Pegg saves David Schwimmer in his directorial debut.
Pegg plays commitment-phobic Dennis, who ran out on his pregnant girlfriend Libby (Thandie Newton) on their wedding day. Fate, the occasionally naked Hank Azaria and the gale force winds of romantic comedy requirement seem to be working against him as he attempts to win her back. His solution to this is to run a marathon. If only Romeo had worked out his frustration in a similar way.
Pegg is joined by another British comedy darling Dylan Moran, who plays his gambling addicted best friend and coach. Their interaction is perhaps the highlight of the movie, raising the ghost of Pegg’s highly successful partnership with Nick Frost in Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz.
But this is a romance people, and Thandie doesn’t do too badly either. Her character is underwritten, but it is certainly nice to move away from the well-worn perspective of the woman desperately fighting for her man. Hank Azaria’s suitor Whit is funny, but his character seems to change drastically to help the plot along.
Somehow, despite what sounds like a potentially lazy set-up this whole thing seems to work. The format is obvious, predictable, and full of sign posts to let you know what to expect next, but Pegg’s turn as a strangely likeable slob managed to win me over. The film was originally set in New York, the El Dorado of the romantic comedy where Kate Husdon skips hand in hand with Matthew McConaughey, Meg Ryan owns a chain of books stores with Tom Hanks and Judy Greer lives out her life as a perpetual best friend. Changing the venue to London allows the whole thing to breathe, and gives a cheesy plot a bit of character.
Where does Simon Pegg go from here? He is an unlikely leading man for the rom-com field, and perhaps that's why he makes this familiar piece seem occasionally fresh. He seems determined to crash through every genre (horror and action already under his belt). Here's hoping he takes on costume dramas next. Surely Keira Knightley is standing somewhere in a corset waiting for an every-man to save her. Either that or we slap some tights on Pegg, throw him off a building and see if he can fly.
Pegg plays commitment-phobic Dennis, who ran out on his pregnant girlfriend Libby (Thandie Newton) on their wedding day. Fate, the occasionally naked Hank Azaria and the gale force winds of romantic comedy requirement seem to be working against him as he attempts to win her back. His solution to this is to run a marathon. If only Romeo had worked out his frustration in a similar way.
Pegg is joined by another British comedy darling Dylan Moran, who plays his gambling addicted best friend and coach. Their interaction is perhaps the highlight of the movie, raising the ghost of Pegg’s highly successful partnership with Nick Frost in Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz.
But this is a romance people, and Thandie doesn’t do too badly either. Her character is underwritten, but it is certainly nice to move away from the well-worn perspective of the woman desperately fighting for her man. Hank Azaria’s suitor Whit is funny, but his character seems to change drastically to help the plot along.
Somehow, despite what sounds like a potentially lazy set-up this whole thing seems to work. The format is obvious, predictable, and full of sign posts to let you know what to expect next, but Pegg’s turn as a strangely likeable slob managed to win me over. The film was originally set in New York, the El Dorado of the romantic comedy where Kate Husdon skips hand in hand with Matthew McConaughey, Meg Ryan owns a chain of books stores with Tom Hanks and Judy Greer lives out her life as a perpetual best friend. Changing the venue to London allows the whole thing to breathe, and gives a cheesy plot a bit of character.
Where does Simon Pegg go from here? He is an unlikely leading man for the rom-com field, and perhaps that's why he makes this familiar piece seem occasionally fresh. He seems determined to crash through every genre (horror and action already under his belt). Here's hoping he takes on costume dramas next. Surely Keira Knightley is standing somewhere in a corset waiting for an every-man to save her. Either that or we slap some tights on Pegg, throw him off a building and see if he can fly.
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