Run Fatboy Run

Simon Pegg likes his niche, apparently. The man should have ‘almost irredeemable loser’ tattooed on the back of his strawberry blond head. But if it ain’t broke don’t fix it, as the saying goes, and Simon Pegg doesn’t seem to be broke just yet.

Run Fatboy Run is the first big-screen directing effort by David Schwimmer and, better known as Ross from Friends, Schwimmer accordingly knows something about losers. Bringing to this film the gentle and almost un-American irony from his former sitcom, Schwimmer and screenwriters Pegg and Michael Ian Black (from equally ribtickling TV comedy Ed) bring the story of the inept Dennis to life.

Despite its American roots, Fatboy is an undeniably British film. Made on a budget, the film recalls Pegg’s earlier outing Shaun of the Dead in terms of aesthetic, and his character is the same loveable loser we’ve come to recognise. After running from his pregnant fiancée (Thandie Newton) at the altar, Dennis spends the next five years running from life. Now working as a retail security guard, Dennis’s time is split between his son and pathetically trying to win back the woman he left. His efforts are so pathetic, in fact, that he agrees to run the London marathon in order to regain her affections and outdo smarmy new boyfriend Whit (Hank Azaria).

Admittedly, Fatboy is hardly the comedy of the year, not if the award is rated on belly laughs, but there’s an inherent dry joy about the affair. The main cast are comfortable in their roles and seem to breeze through. But as with all comedies, it’s the supporting cast that lift it above a mere love story. Dylan Moran as friend and trainer Gordon, a chain-smoking, drinking gambler (essentially a recap of Black Books’ character Bernard) steals every scene he’s in, as does landlord Mr Ghoshdashtidar (Harish Patel), and the trio’s escapades involving blisters, rashes, spatulas and fake diseases stop the drama dragging the story into a slump.

While this may not be the most side-splitting comedy of the year, it’s enjoyable fare for a weekend flick. So enjoyable, in fact, that it’s almost hard to believe the yanks are responsible.