All work and no play makes the Young & Successful feel unbalanced! To rescue our overworked souls, YSN member and movie aficionado Rama Tampubolon discusses the latest hot topics and movie reviews every Thursday on Waste Time Wisely. He runs the movie review and discussion blog, Rama’s Screen, and was featured in “United 300,” which won for “Best Spoof” at the 2007 MTV Movie Awards.
Now this is my kind of movie!
RUN FATBOY RUN is the Rocky of marathons. David Schwimmer has graduated from being the bumbling character Ross on TV’s Friends into the director of one of the most excellent feel-awesome movies of the year. This movie will make you cheer. It’s a quirky family movie but with heart, determination and effective British comedy. After you watch this movie, you’ll believe you can conquer any obstacle that gets in your way.
SYNOPSIS: Dennis (Simon Pegg) left his bride at the altar when she was pregnant. Five years later, still not accomplishing anything in life and employed as an out-of-shape security guard, Dennis finds himself competing with his ex-girlfriend’s new rich boyfriend who runs marathons for charity. To win back her love and respect, and prove that he can be a responsible father to his son, he will run the marathon (with the help of his friend and his landlord).
Director David Schwimmer has been wanting to do this project ever since Friends went off the air. His buddy Simon Pegg helped rewrite the script, they moved the location of the story from New York to London, and cast Pegg in the main role. I say they made all the right decisions.
Bravo, Mr. Schwimmer!
Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) is excellent as fat security guard who can’t seem to finish anything in life. Not only does Simon have great comedic timing and humorous facial expressions, he can actually carry serious dramatic moments in the movie. He kinda reminds me of when actor/comedian Robin Williams started mixing drama and comedy in The World According to Garp back in the early 80s.
The rest of the cast are perfect in all their roles including Thandie Newton, the ex-girlfriend; Dylan Morgan as Simon’s friend and sidekick who has gambling problem; Haris Patel as the wise, quirky landlord; and Hank Azaria, the man of a thousand voices, who plays the rich jerk. (You can even hear a hint of Moe the bartender from the Simpsons in Hank’s voice when he speaks.)
Having run a marathon myself, I can definitely relate to this movie but you don’t have to had run one to identify with this flick. It’s about not running away from your problems and starting to run in the right direction. And again, the comedy is effective. The punch lines and the physical slapstick really work. I mean it’s really funny without being raunchy funny. But those aren’t all that it offers. It’s about so much more.
So run to wherever this movie is playing! Watch it and finish your own race.
My grade for this film: 5 out of 5
