Run, Fat Boy, Run

Infobox Film
name = Run Fatboy Run


image_size =
caption = UK Theatrical Release Poster
director = David Schwimmer
producer = Sarah Curtis
writer = Michael Ian Black
Simon Pegg
narrator =
starring = Simon Pegg
Thandie Newton
Harish Patel
Dylan Moran
Hank Azaria
music = Alex Wurman
cinematography = Richard Greatrex
editing = Michael Parker
distributor = Material Entertainment (UK distributor)
Picturehouse (US distributor)
released = 7 September 2007
runtime = 95 min.
country = UK
language = English
budget = 10 million [ [http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=43491 Sony's 21 Has the Winning Hand - ComingSoon.net ] ]
gross =
preceded_by =
website = http://www.runfatboyrunmovie.com/
amg_id = 1:357767
imdb_id = 0425413

"Run Fat Boy Run" is a 2007 romantic comedy directed by David Schwimmer, written by Michael Ian Black and Simon Pegg, and starring Pegg, Dylan Moran, Thandie Newton, Harish Patel, India de Beaufort and Hank Azaria, it was released in the UK on 7 September 2007, in Canada on 10 September 2007 and in the United States on 28 March 2008.

Plot

Five years ago Dennis Doyle (Simon Pegg) was about to marry Libby (Thandie Newton), his pregnant fiancée, before getting cold feet and running away during the preparation for the wedding and he's been going in circles ever since. When Dennis discovers that Libby has started seeing high-flying go-getter Whit (Hank Azaria), with their son, Jake, he realizes it’s now or never. He finds out that Whit is running the Nike River Marathon in London, and to prove himself to his doubting friends and, most importantly, Libby, he decides to run the race himself. Meanwhile, Jake, who has formed a crush on a girl in his class, runs away angry when he discovers that she prefers another boy just because he has a ponytail. Dennis, upon being informed by a frightened Libby, tracks him down and explains to him that he will find many things he doesn't like in his life and he should just stand up to them and face them, rather than running away, having made that mistake himself.

It takes a lot of motivation from his two "coaches", Gordon, his best friend (Dylan Moran) and Mr. Ghoshdashtidar, his landlord (Harish Patel), who use some slightly unorthodox methods of training (mainly involving spatulas). Meanwhile, Whit proposes to Libby at her birthday party in front of everyone (including Dennis) at the time when Dennis was repairing his relationship with Libby. Libby accepts and this puts Dennis in a state of depression, just days before the big race, especially when he learns that Whit intends to move Libby and Jake to the United States in Chicago, Illinois, so he will never get to see Jake again. However, he decides to race anyway, as he has made a deal with Mr. Goshdashtidar's daughter, Maya (India de Beaufort) in which he will be otherwise evicted if he doesn't finish and Gordon has all his money resting on him completing the race.

He starts the race alongside Whit, and they tussle for a while at the start of the race, and suddenly Whit trips Dennis and badly injures him. Stretchers prepare to take Dennis to hospital. Whit continues, but is taken to hospital after feeling ill and feeling pain in his leg at one point in the race. Libby goes to the hospital to find Dennis, as she was horrified to see him injure himself so badly, but only finds Whit. The doctor tells him he is not actually injured and has only "hit the wall", an expression used by Whit earlier, to describe the runner's feeling of tiredness and failure. Dennis has in fact refused to be transported to the hospital or even get medical attention and is continuing the race well into the afternoon and evening with a sprained ankle.

Meanwhile, back at the hospital, Whit, in an outrage, calls Jake a "little shit" as Jake plays with Whit's hospital bed. This angers Libby and spells the beginning of the end of their relationship. Dennis receives a motivating party going with him on the route and also a lot of media attention. Back at Whit's house, Libby, Jake and Whit, while watching this, see a television replay of the Whit-Dennis tussle, with Whit claiming Dennis was responsible for the fall. However, the replay shows that in fact Whit had deliberately tripped Dennis up and had fallen over because he had gotten tangled up with Dennis as he was falling. This results in Libby and Jake storming out on Whit, particularly when Libby learns of Whit's intentions to have them move to Chicago with him. Instead, the two go to meet Dennis at the end of the race, who has gone through an emotional journey, involving flashbacks to his past. Eventually he finishes and the film ends with him asking the again single Libby to dinner, marking the rekindling of their relationship.

Characters and cast

*Simon Pegg as Dennis Doyle
*Thandie Newton as Elizabeth Olivia 'Libby' Odell
*Hank Azaria as Whit
*Dylan Moran as Gordon
*Harish Patel as Mr. Goshdashtidar
*India de Beaufort as Maya Goshdashtidar
*Matthew Fenton as Jake
*Simon Day as Vincent
*Ruth Sheen as Claudine
*Tyrone Huggins as Grover
*Nevan Finegan as Mickey

Guest appearances

*Chris Hollins (sports reporter)
*Peter Serafinowicz (reporter voice over)
*Denise Lewis (British athlete)
*Stephen Merchant (injured runner)

Notes

Director David Schwimmer can be seen making an appearance as a fan on the race route towards the end of the film. Wearing a black hat and coat, David gives Simon Pegg's character a half pint of ale.

Little Britain star David Walliams appears in Libby's bakery as a character very similar to his Little Britain character Mr. Mann, who asks for very specific items. In his cameo, Walliams asks for a gingerbread bunny. Upon learning these are only sold at Easter, he asks for gingerbread shaped like any animals, finally saying "I will settle for anything shaped like a fish." He also gets into an argument with Dennis over allotted time.

Reception

Critical reception

The film received mixed reviews from critics. The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 50% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 105 reviews. [cite web|url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/10008621-run_fat_boy_run/ |title=Run, Fat Boy, Run Movie Reviews, Pictures - Rotten Tomatoes |accessdate=2008-03-30 |publisher=Rotten Tomatoes] Metacritic reported the film had an average score of 48 out of 100, based on 27 reviews. [cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/runfatboyrun |title=Run, Fat Boy, Run (2008): Reviews |accessdate=2008-03-30 |publisher=Metacritic]

Box office performance

The film topped the UK box office in its opening week and remained at the top of the chart for four straight weeks. To date it has earned over £10.5 million. In the United States, the film enjoyed more limited success. On its opening weekend, it grossed about $2.3 million. As of May 1,2008, the film has grossed $5,946,628 with a foreign gross of $29,039,566 making $34,986,194 as its international gross.

DVD & BD

The DVD was released on 18 February, 2008 in the United Kingdom. It was also released simultaneously on the HD DVD and Blu-Ray formats.

References

External links

* [http://www.runfatboyrunmovie.com/ Official site]
*imdb title|id=0425413|title=Run, Fat Boy, Run
*rotten-tomatoes|id=10008621-run_fat_boy_run|title=Run, Fat Boy, Run
*metacritic film|id=runfatboyrun|title=Run, Fat Boy, Run
*mojo title|id=runfatboyrun|title=Run, Fat Boy, Run
*amg movie|id=1:357767|title=Run, Fat Boy, Run
* [http://www.alliancefilms.com/en/89/details/display/11333/ Official Canadian site]
* [http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZJ3vPmbFG2s Interview with director David Schwimmer] at YouTube