Run, Fatboy, Run

Picturehouse Entertainment | Release Date: March 28, 2008

6.6	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 59 Ratings

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TJW.Mar 23, 2008

The most important thing I had to keep in my head while watching Run Fatboy Run, the latest comedy to star Simon Pegg, was that this wasn't an Edgar Wright film; I wasn't going to get another Shaun Of The Dead or Hot Fuzz, and Nick The most important thing I had to keep in my head while watching Run Fatboy Run, the latest comedy to star Simon Pegg, was that this wasn't an Edgar Wright film; I wasn't going to get another Shaun Of The Dead or Hot Fuzz, and Nick Frost wasn't going to be showing up anytime soon. This was directed by an American (David Schwimmer of Friends fame) and scripted by an American (The State and Stella's Michael Ian Black), so I had to prepare myself for American comedy in a British setting; after I did that, I found I was able to (moderately) enjoy this film. Pegg stars as Dennis, a man who left his pregnant fiance (Thandie Newton) at the altar five years ago. After meeting her new boyfriend (the ridiculously built Hank Azaria) and finding out he's running in a marathon in three weeks, Dennis decides to do the same to try to win back his girl. Michael Ian Black's script is not the strong point of this film (if you're looking for Edgar Wright wit, it's not here); neither is Schwimmer's direction (give him time, I think he'll get better). Instead, the cast is left to basically fend for themselves, with varying degrees of success. Pegg is fine, in a role that could've easily turned into an opportunity to overact. Azaria and Newton, however, seem to be pretty much phoning it in. The one man you will recognize from Shaun Of The Dead, Dylan Moran (as Dennis' best friend Gordon) provides probably more than 75% of the laughs in this film, and is the sole reason this movie is being recommended. I don't expect this movie will get great reviews, but what I do expect is large box office and Simon Pegg finally getting over the hump in America, to full blown stardom. Now go back to Mr. Wright, you crazy Brit!… Expand

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PfillipT.Mar 21, 2008

Very predictable but nonetheless funny thanks to Moran, Patel and Pegg. Unfortunately, Azaria is poorly cast and isn't allowed to showcase his talent. I wasn't expecting it to be as good as it was but it's definitely something Very predictable but nonetheless funny thanks to Moran, Patel and Pegg. Unfortunately, Azaria is poorly cast and isn't allowed to showcase his talent. I wasn't expecting it to be as good as it was but it's definitely something I expected to see from Ross from Friends. The premise of the movie is mostly what drives it but the funniest bits are usually when Dylan Moran's character enters. And, sadly, those scenes weren't vital to the script.… Expand

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ERG1008Sep 17, 2010

Well it has some funny moments but the story is so ridiculous it's untrue. A few nice cameos here & there but nowhere near as good as Pegg's other work. Dylan Moran plays himself yet again as well.

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DillinNov 3, 2011

Oh, no. Oh dear. If only this could have been better. It's a kind of funny premise, and Hank Azaria is funny. Oh well; I'm looking forward to At World's End.

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Compi24Nov 28, 2012

Predictability is rampant but it still provides a decent amount of laughs.

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DawdlingPoetNov 28, 2021

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I don't know what it is about Pegg's movies that seems to attract me to watching them, I wasn't too keen on 'How To Lose Friends & Alienate People' and I couldn't decide whether I really enjoyed 'Hot Fuzz' or not, it was a bit too bizarre for me I think, so I suppose I shouldn't have bothered with this movie but there's something about him as a comic actor which I suppose appeals to me, even though thinking about the plotlines of most of his latest movies, they are pretty basic. This movie is pretty much what you'd expect, its another case of Pegg playing the underdog as an unfit security guard wanting to regain the affection of his ex-fiance, though she doesn't seem too keen on him and im not surprised, all things considered!

One main problem I had with it was the basic idea that he was engaged to Elizabeth. Perhaps I'm being a bit harsh but I did find it hard to believe that the two of them had been a couple, it somehow didn't seem too realistic that he would have been with someone like Thandie Newton (who played Elizabeth). I know its maybe a bit unfair of me to say so but I did honestly find that a bit hard to believe. As well as Dennis and Elizabeth, there are other characters such as Dennis' layabout 'buddies' Gordon (played by Dylan Moran, perhaps better known from the sitcom Black Books) and an at first somewhat aggressive landlord Mr. Goshdashtidar, both of which are quite quirky characters, that you might expect to see in a comic strip or something similar.

I guess its kind of nice to see that in this movie, with it being a British based movie I suppose, there's a role reversal and the American character of Whit its discovered is really not that nice or fair and so of course as the viewer, we're on Dennis' side, which is pretty obvious but I guess you can say that it makes a change from having the English actor as the bad guy, when its set in London its nice to have the English guy as the good guy but otherwise, the story is rather predictable and to be honest, pretty forgettable, I feel. I think the format is just rather old, which makes me wonder why I was attracted to watching it, I don't know. There are some laughs in it but there's no real belly laugh content, put it that way. Its a rather run of the mill underdog comedy type movie with nothing that I feel is particularly worth pointing out or noting as new or different. Its quite predictable although it is still watchable, its the sort of movie that I could imagine being shown on a Saturday evening on TV and for free, you could do worse than to watch it but I don't think its particularly worth spending money on. I'm sure some people will think its quite funny, if you like these sort of 'underdog comedies', I just didn't feel that there was much to it that made it stand out really. I watched it last night and trying to remember scenes that stood out as particularly funny is a real struggle, so at least to me it seemed to be a rather run of the mill, forgettable sort of a movie, though I don't like to be overly negative and its perhaps fair to note that I didn't become so bored that I stopped watching and indeed towards the end, when Dennis struggles during the actual London marathon, I did feel quite keen to see what would happen and hoped that he'd do well. All in all, I don't think its an awful film, its just 'ok'. There are some light laughs and it doesn't 'drone on' for too long, it could perhaps be a motivating movie for those who feel they can relate to the main character more than me I suppose and the cast makes it a bit interesting, with Dylan Moran, Thandie Newton, Hank Azaria and a cameo appearance by David Walliams but I can't say that I feel it was a particularly memorable or really funny movie, its just another movie with Simon Pegg playing a quirky underdog type character. If you like his other movies or movies of this sort, then you'll likely enjoy this to some extent, if not then its probably not really worth bothering with.

No, I wouldn't specifically recommend it. I wouldn't say that its a particularly bad movie, its just not particularly great either. Of course, other people might well enjoy it more than me, I suppose its more of a mans movie, perhaps but either way, I felt that it was a bit too predictable and not quite funny enough to be seen as particularly memorable or worth bothering with, in my own opinion, though, like I say, if you tend to enjoy Pegg's movie and/or movies/comedies of this sort, then it may be worth renting or catching on TV.… Expand

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