RUN FATBOY RUN

I woke up (sorta) early today...okay it was like 10:00AM but that's early for me. I got up at this (highly unreasonable) hour, on my day off--because Simon Pegg has a new movie out. Sitting in the AMC, waiting for the movie to start, I realized that Pegg is probably my new favorite comedic actor. I haven't seen a single movie he's been in that wasn't kick ass (which is good news for J.J. Abram's STAR TREK movie, Pegg will be playing Scotty). Once again, Pegg didn't let me down. RUN FAT BOY RUN was not only hilarious, but also sweet/touching and a little inspirational.

Pegg plays a loser who stands his (very pregnant) girlfriend up on the day of their wedding. Years later, he is shocked to find that she is dating (and about to be married) to a yuppie-American (played by Hank Azaria...who does like a 1,000 voices on THE SIMPSONS). Facing the prospect of losing the woman he still loves--and his son (Azaria plans on whisking the family off to Chicago once he gets hitched with Pegg's woman) the lovable loser realizes he has only one shot at retribution...he has to finish a marathon. Is that very logical? No. Does it work? Hell yes. Pegg's character is a horribly out-of-shape, drinking, smoking machine. Squeezing into tight running shorts and a decades old David Bowie shirt to go jogging is the LAST thing this guy should be doing...but he does because he needs to prove to himself (as well as the mother of his child) that he CAN finish something he starts...



Oh, he also wants to show up that prick who's trying to steal his woman (who is also in the race)...and his best-friend is going to be killed if he doesn't start--and finish--the marathon. But mostly it's about proving himself.

Anyway, I usually don't like British comedy...not even Monty Python (which, I guess means I'm not much of a nerd...oh sure, HOLY GRAIN is funny enough...but FLYING CIRCUS? Eh...not my "cup of tea.") but Pegg works for me. He has an understated, less in-you-face style. Sure, some of the laughs are a bit juvenile...but they never seemed forced (or worse, a joke simply inserted because the script demands a joke). Even though he didn't write his film, it still holds up to the quality I've come to expect from his collaborations with Edgar Wright (SHAUN OF THE DEAD, HOT FUZZ).

Go see RUN FATBOY RUN, it's damn good.