| Run Fatboy Run | |
|---|---|
UK theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | David Schwimmer |
| Produced by | Sarah Curtis Robert Jones |
| Written by | Michael Ian Black Simon Pegg |
| Starring | Simon Pegg Thandie Newton Hank Azaria Dylan Moran Harish Patel Matthew Fenton |
| Music by | Alex Wurman |
| Cinematography | Richard Greatrex |
| Editing by | Michael Parker |
| Studio | Picturehouse Material Entertainment |
| Distributed by | Entertainment Film New Line Cinema (UK) Warner Bros. (US) |
| Release date(s) | 7 September 2011 |
| Running time | 100 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | US$10 million[1] |
| Box office | US$33,463,522[2] |
Run Fatboy Run is a 2007 British comedy film 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.
Contents |
Dennis Doyle (Simon Pegg) is about to marry Libby (Thandie Newton), his pregnant fiancée. However, he gets cold feet and runs away during the preparation for the wedding, leaving Libby in shock and pain. Five years later, his life has gone 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 is 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 and his son, he decides to run the race himself. He receives motivation from his two "coaches", Gordon (Dylan Moran), Libby's cousin and Dennis' best friend who has made a hefty bet on Dennis succeeding, and Mr. Ghoshdastidar (Harish Patel) his landlord, who uses unorthodox methods of training, such as using a spatula to spank him. Days before the race, Whit proposes to Libby at her birthday party. Libby accepts and this puts Dennis in a state of depression. 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 does not like in his life and he should just stand up to them and face them, rather than running away, having made that mistake himself, so he decides to race.
Dennis starts the race alongside Whit, who informs Dennis that he intends to move Libby and Jake to Chicago, Illinois. Angered, Dennis insults Whit and they tussle for a while at the start of the race and, in their efforts to out-do each other, they catch up to and then overtake the professional runners, and suddenly Whit trips Dennis and badly injures him. Stretchers prepare to take Dennis to the hospital. Whit continues, but is taken to the hospital after feeling ill and feeling pain in his leg. Libby goes to the hospital to find Dennis, but only finds Whit, who claims loudly that his injuries are the result of Dennis deliberately tripping him. The doctor tells him he is not actually injured and has only "hit the wall". Whit, in a fit of anger, calls Jake a "little shit" because Jake played with Whit's hospital bed, to Libby's horror.
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, accompanied by a growing group of supporters, including Gordon and Mr. Ghoshdastidar. An exhausted Dennis almost "hits the wall" but after an emotional inner struggle, his resolve to complete the race is restored. Later at Whit's house, Libby, Jake and Whit, watch a television replay of the Whit/Dennis tussle, as 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. As Whit tries to justify his behavior, he blurts out his intentions to have Libby and Jake move to Chicago with him. A furious Libby puts the engagement ring on a table, telling Whit "nobody's perfect" and storms out with Jake, who says "What a shithead". The two go to meet Dennis as he arrives at the finish line. Dennis falls over just metres from the finish line and cannot get up until he sees Libby and Jake calling to him at which point he gets up, sprints to the finish and collapses in their arms.
What appears to be several weeks later, notably slimmer Dennis comes by Libby's house to pick up Jake. He says that he has something to ask her, but is interrupted by Jake, and says he'll talk to her later. However, just after she shuts the door, he knocks again and asks her out.
In the film's postscript, Gordon — on the bridge of a new yacht — tells the tale of the race to two attractive bikini-clad women, whom he invites aboard for a drink. The camera then pans to reveal to the audience that he isn't wearing any pants.
The film received mixed reviews from critics; review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 48% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 142 reviews.[3] Metacritic reported the film had an average score of 48 out of 100, based on 27 reviews.[4]
The film topped the UK box office in its opening week and remained at the top of the chart for four weeks. To date it has earned over £10.5 million. On its opening weekend, it grossed about $US2.3 million. As of May 1, 2008, the film has grossed $US34,986,194.
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.