Run Fatboy Run

Dennis (played by Simon Pegg) is an out of shape security guard at a women's clothing store living in a crappy basement apartment. He's been running away his entire life, with the most extreme case being when he left Libby pregnant at the alter. Several years later he is in his son's life but Libby is dating a new, and much more successful, man. Wit works in the financial sector, runs regularly and is pretty much as a$$hole. Dennis can't stand to be completely losing Libby so he decides to run the same upcoming marathon as Wit and prove that he can finish something he sets his mind to. With the help of his best friend and upstairs neighbor, he enters and trains as things keep getting worse for him... even worse than the fact that he had to stop drinking, stop smoking, and learn how to run 26 miles in less than a month. (Hey folks... it's a movie.) Enough from me though... let's run on down to the ratings.

Original Release: 2007
Running Time: 100 minutes
Hardee-Har-Har - $2
Simon Pegg is always good for a laugh, and he delivers here. A strong supporting cast - including Hank Azaria - had me laughing out loud several times with quips and one-liners.

Acting - $1
I expected acting on the level of a simple comedy but there is a lot more heart in Run Fatboy Run than I could have predicted. Each actor portrayed their respective characters splendidly and helped to draw me into the story and get more emotionally involved then I planned on being on a Sunday afternoon.

Repeat Play - $1
I can safely say that I will be watching this again within the next few weeks. I won't force my roommate to sit down and watch it as soon as he gets home (which I have done in the past) but I might make he and his girlfriend sit through it next weekend. Consider that a warning you two.

Romantics - $2
I put a lot of thought into this one. The movie begins with Dennis running away from his own shotgun wedding and that is probably one of the least romantic things someone can do. But what he puts himself through to win her back and how much Libby struggles with her old love and her new one felt very powerful. It felt much less forced than movies generally do, so I will happily hand over a couple bucks here.

Billicious - $2
Run Fatboy Run is one of those movies that I had some interest in seeing but never really made the effort until I saw it on sale for six bucks at Best Buy. I like Simon Pegg but wasn't initially inspired by the trailers so I let it be until this weekend. Man I wish I had watched this one sooner! It is an underappreciated and fun movie and I hope to hell that this review will convince at least one person to go and watch it.
Total Rating: $8

Part of why I use the $10 rating scale is that I don't like spending more than that on a movie. I frequent the weekly sales at Best Buy and pick up a lot for $5 - $9. Any time I can have a rating here higher than what I paid for the movie I am a very happy boy. Run Fatboy Run is a perfect example of that and for why I don't bother renting movies. It's throwing money away. I don't know how many people out there have seen this one, so if you have then feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts. I'm finally back in the swing of reviewing after a few months off, so check back soon and you're sure to find more here. Until then, always remember that metal doesn't go in the microwave!