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Run, Fat Boy, Run

A grueling slog toward an unfunny finish

By Matt Pais

Metromix
March 27, 2008

Critic's Rating:

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Five years after he left his pregnant fiancée Libby (Thandie Newton) at the altar, Dennis (Simon Pegg of "Hot Fuzz") tries to win back his ex and make sure his son Jake doesn't get too friendly with Libby's new man, Whit (Hank Azaria). How can he do that? By shaking off a life of irresponsibility and, like Whit, training for a marathon.

Big question: With a script by Pegg and Michael Ian Black ("Wet Hot American Summer") and directed by David Schwimmer, "Run Fatboy Run" has to be hilarious, right?

Skip it: After a reasonably amusing start the movie totally dogs it in the second half, with a lack of imagination and heart that takes more than a Powerbar to fix. Besides, even Jake would be too old to laugh at stuff like Dennis' blister exploding in his best mate Gordon's (Dylan Moran) face or Dennis getting a massage from his overweight Indian landlord. (Both gags would have felt stale five years ago.)

Catch it: To decide which element of "Run Fatboy Run" you find sexiest: Dennis humping a mannequin to scratch an itch, Azaria showing off an impressive physique for a 43-year-old comedian or Libby operating a bakery called "Libby's Nice Buns." Get it?

Bottom line: Good vibes always hover around Newton and Azaria, and Pegg usually knows how to generate sympathy for an underachiever, but Dennis is such a clueless schlub that we're never reassured that he can do right by his woman and his boy. And without much spunk or wit, the movie’s so pathetically average that you can barely muster the energy to have an opinion about it.

Bonus: Even if your romantic life isn't so hot, it's probably better than Gordon's, whose only relationship ended in a broken collarbone and a dead meerkat. At least it sounds like a hell of a story.

What do you think of 'Run Fatboy Run'? Email me: mpais@tribune.com