Run, Fat Boy, Run
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| Run Fatboy Run | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | David Schwimmer |
| Produced by | Sarah Curtis |
| Written by | Michael Ian Black Simon Pegg |
| Starring | Simon Pegg Thandie Newton Harish Patel Dylan Moran Hank Azaria |
| Music by | Alex Wurman |
| Cinematography | Richard Greatrex |
| Editing by | Michael Parker |
| Distributed by | Material Entertainment (UK distributor) Picturehouse (US distributor) |
| Release date(s) | 7 September 2007 |
| Running time | 95 min. |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | 10 million [1] |
| Official website | |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Run Fatboy Run is a 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. The film was released in the United States on 28 March 2008.
Contents |
[edit] 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 already has a boyfriend. Dennis, upon being informed by a frightened Libby, tracks him down.
It takes a lot of motivation from his two "coaches", Gordon, his best friend (Dylan Moran) and Mr. Goshdashtidar, his enthusiastic landlord (Harish Patel). 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 Libby will be moving to the States with Whit and Jake, 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 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 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 the hospital, 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 and going 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.
[edit] 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 Little Britain character Mr. Mann, who asks for very specific items.
Robert Stone (Actor) (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1953371/) as the Weightlifter
[edit] Reception
[edit] 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.[2] Metacritic reported the film had an average score of 48 out of 100, based on 27 reviews.[3]
[edit] 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. While in the United States, the film has not been very successful as it is overseas. 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.
[edit] DVD
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.
