Year: 2007
Director: David Schwimmer
I approached this movie a little hesitantly because it doesn't fit in snugly with my "I'm more obscure than you" view of the arts. I mean, look at the director--you can't get anymore mainstream than one of the "Friends." Nevertheless, I felt compelled to watch it because I too, am a fat boy.
As a child, a wore the "Husky Plus" sizes from Sears. In my teens, I grew out of it but by the time I got to college I had porked up again. Living alone in a strange city with a grocery store literally 50 feet from your apartment will do that for you. In my adult life I've weighed anywhere from 330 (an estimate because my scale only went up to 320) and 170 pounds. It is a constant battle and something I will always have to be mindful of. I can literally go from fit to fat in the course of a day. I have also been a runner. In fact there was a time not so long ago when I was hammering out 20-30 miles per week, just for the exercise (I was not training for anything.) I'll always remember the bemused expression of the security guard who worked at my building went I went out for my nightly torture sessions. Rain, sleet, snow, freezing cold--you name it and I was there and he would always shake his head and chuckle at my dedication/stupidity. Like the non-running characters in the movie, I often asked "why?" Like I said, I wasn't training for anything so why throw perfectly good free time after work? I didn't truly WANT to do it--I never enjoyed it much and I never really got any better at it. Who knows--maybe it was some sort of penance for my earlier heavy days? Punishment? Whatever the reason, I can certainly relate to the characters in this movie who ask why but still try.
The main character of the movie is Dennis (Simon Pegg in a really funny role). The movie starts five years in the past--in a huge upset, Dennis is engaged to marry Libby (Thandie Newton), who is already pregnant. Something gets to Dennis on his wedding day (fear of commitment, fear of failure, lack of confidence, all of the above) and he takes off like Usain Bolt leaving his fiancee at the altar. Flash ahead to the future, Dennis is a lowly security guard at a Victoria's Secret-type store. He's going nowhere fast in life but has one redeeming quality--he's a kind and caring, albeit somewhat irresponsible, dad. Libby has a new man in her life, corporate hot-shot Whit (Hank Azaria). Whit is everything that Dennis isn't--successful and wealthy but also arrogant and condescending. When it becomes apparent that he's losing Libby for good, Dennis hits upon a half-baked plan to win her over--he'll run and complete the same marathon that Whit is training for. Of course complicating this fact is that Dennis is, as he says, "unfit."
With the aid of his best mate Gordon (Dylan Moran) and neighbor Mr. Goshdashtidar (Harish Patel), Dennis sets about training for the race of his life. Both Gordon and Mr. G. have a vested interest in Dennis' success and their scenes together are the funniest and also most moving of the movie. There's really no suspense here--if you can't see where this one is going then you've probably seen even fewer movies than I have. But that's fine, the ride is really enjoyable, the characters are warm and likable (except for the obnoxious Whit) and it's all good clean fun.
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