Run, Fatboy, Run
Picturehouse Entertainment | Release Date: March 28, 2008 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
48
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 27 Critic Reviews
Positive:
7
Mixed:
16
Negative:
4
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
The New York TimesMatt Zoller Seitz
The kind of movie that’s apt to be dismissed a goofy lark. It is that. But it’s also a rare comedy that believes in its own message, and that could inspire the depressed and the demoralized to grit their teeth and keep running. Read full review
60
SalonStephanie Zacharek
If you can get past its toothpick of a premise, Run Fatboy Run is a perfectly enjoyable light comedy. It's also just good enough that I wanted it be better. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeFore
The pic benefits from a loveable-loser turn by Simon Pegg, but the "Shaun of the Dead" star's presence may also lead to disappointment for those familiar with his work. Read full review
58
The A.V. ClubNathan Rabin
Fatboy nearly succeeds in spite of itself, thanks to Pegg, who makes a character who does some detestable things seem strangely likeable. Read full review
58
Portland OregonianM. E. Russell
The humor tends toward the mildly crass -- bare buttocks and inappropriate scratching are Schwimmer's go-to comedy staples -- and the story is ridiculous. But Pegg, who co-wrote the script, plays to his strengths. You can't help but root for the loser. Read full review
58
Christian Science MonitorPeter Rainer
Simon Pegg, of "Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz," is onscreen almost constantly in Run Fatboy Run, and his mugging and smirking and preening wear out their welcome fast. Read full review
50
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
The film's bright spot is Irish comedian Dylan Moran, who plays Libby's charmingly dissolute cousin and who also happens to be Dennis' best friend. He's fresh, unpredictable and genuinely funny -- everything the film isn't. Read full review
50
Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean Axmaker
It lacks the invention of Pegg's comedies with Edgar Wright, which buzz and crackle with ideas and energy. This one simply plods through, just like Dennis. Only Pegg's doggedness gets this effort across the finish line. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Kamal AL-Solaylee
Its peculiar strain of anti-Americanism aside, Run, Fat Boy, Run tries to bridge the gap between self-deprecating Brits and self-aggrandizing Yanks, settling down somewhere between the two. Don't ask me where, exactly, but this mid-Atlantic meeting point is an ultra-neutral zone. Read full review
50
Los Angeles TimesGene Seymour
Snarkiness and sentiment are in constant battle for supremacy throughout Run, Fat Boy, Run with no chance of a comfortable draw. Read full review
50
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
The result is tepid humor and a less-than-compelling feel-good story of redemption and re-kindled romance. Read full review
50
New York Magazine (Vulture)David Edelstein
I wouldn’t believe that Run, Fat Boy, Run was co-written by Simon Pegg (of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz) if he weren’t up there on the screen in teeny briefs and with his gut stuck out, trying to endear himself to the American audience in material maybe a notch above Rob Schneider’s. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneMichael Phillips
One of the problems with the new comedy Run, Fat Boy, Run is that it’s not English enough, even though its antagonist is a thoroughly detestable American go-getter. Read full review
40
Washington PostDesson Thomson
Rather like the faltering way Dennis runs the race, Pegg the performer insists that we keep watching, ever hopeful for a decent gag. And we spend most of our time thinking back to movies that better showcased his talents, such as "Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz." Read full review
40
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
Dylan Moran has a few funny moments as Pegg's shiftless pal, and Mike Leigh regular Ruth Sheen puts in an all-too-brief appearance. Read full review
40
Austin ChronicleKimberley Jones
This British rom-com is all soft and plodgy, a by-the-numbers redemption tale that careens uncomfortably from sentimentality to stomach-turning sight gags. Read full review
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