BRITTANY RUNS A MARATHON
****
Director: Paul Downs Colaizzo
Screenwriter: Paul Downs Colaizzo
Principal cast:
Jillian Bell
Michaela Watkins
Utkarsh Ambudkar
Lil Rel Howery
Micah Stock
Alice Lee
Country: USA
Classification: M
Runtime: 104 mins.
Australian release date: 31 October 2019
Previewed at: Sony Pictures Theatrette, Sydney, on 28 August 2019.
In a world where obesity is increasingly common, it is refreshing to come across a film that recognises the adverse health aspects of being overweight and positively reinforces the notion that you can do something about it. In this case, going to the extreme of training for the New York marathon! Based on the true story of a friend of the first-time director and scriptwriter, playwright Paul Downs Colaizzo, Brittany Runs A Marathon is an endearing and amusing tale that doesn’t preach but proves the old Chinese adage that ‘a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.’
Brittany (comedian Jillian Bell, known for her extensive television work) is a millennial living in the Big Apple, tackling the usual problems faced by people living in a first-world megalopolis - lack of money, lack of fitting into the advertising-reinforced stereotypical body-shape, lack of a love interest, and so on. After a visit to her doctor to score a prescription for speed, plus-sized Brittany is advised to kick off the kilos (well, pounds, this being a US film) and seriously consider changing her hard partying ways. Finally admitting to herself that not only does she have cellulite and love-handles - “even my liver is fat” - Brittany decides to take up jogging after being shocked by how much a gym membership costs. She buddies up with a fellow runner Seth (Micah Stock) and befriends (after initially hating) her skinny neighbour, Catherine (Michaela Watkins). Flushed with success as, little by little, she runs further each day and the pounds start to drop off, Brittany decides to train for the New York marathon. Entry is by lottery, though, and when she fails to gain a place she dejectedly chucks in her goal. Around the same time, she gets a job as a dog-walker/pet-sitter and develops a weird friendship ‘with benefits’ with Jern (Uktarsh Ambudkar), a fellow pet-sitter with whom she temporarily shares digs belonging to a wealthy couple who are currently out of town. When they get kicked out by the horrified owners, Brittany returns to her hometown of Philadelphia, where events force her to reappraise her hopes and dreams… and herself.
A crowd-pleaser at Sundance, Brittany Runs A Marathon is well edited and occasionally quite moving. Bell is fabulous and you can’t help but like Brittany even though she can be a bitch at times and has a huge chip on her shoulder. The actress successfully combines humour and pathos, never making her audience feel that her character is pitiable. Indeed, Colaizzo’s script develops a positive “all body types are beautiful” angle, one that has the audience readily accepting this single person’s dilemma and genuinely hoping that she will succeed in her attempt to address her woes. A modern-day comedy, Brittany Runs A Marathon is geared towards young women who may be facing problems that seem insurmountable and yet, if faced head-on, can be turned around. It’s life-affirming to see pictures of the real ‘Brittany’ as the end credits roll. She looks happy.
Screenwriter: Paul Downs Colaizzo
Principal cast:
Jillian Bell
Michaela Watkins
Utkarsh Ambudkar
Lil Rel Howery
Micah Stock
Alice Lee
Country: USA
Classification: M
Runtime: 104 mins.
Australian release date: 31 October 2019
Previewed at: Sony Pictures Theatrette, Sydney, on 28 August 2019.
In a world where obesity is increasingly common, it is refreshing to come across a film that recognises the adverse health aspects of being overweight and positively reinforces the notion that you can do something about it. In this case, going to the extreme of training for the New York marathon! Based on the true story of a friend of the first-time director and scriptwriter, playwright Paul Downs Colaizzo, Brittany Runs A Marathon is an endearing and amusing tale that doesn’t preach but proves the old Chinese adage that ‘a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.’
Brittany (comedian Jillian Bell, known for her extensive television work) is a millennial living in the Big Apple, tackling the usual problems faced by people living in a first-world megalopolis - lack of money, lack of fitting into the advertising-reinforced stereotypical body-shape, lack of a love interest, and so on. After a visit to her doctor to score a prescription for speed, plus-sized Brittany is advised to kick off the kilos (well, pounds, this being a US film) and seriously consider changing her hard partying ways. Finally admitting to herself that not only does she have cellulite and love-handles - “even my liver is fat” - Brittany decides to take up jogging after being shocked by how much a gym membership costs. She buddies up with a fellow runner Seth (Micah Stock) and befriends (after initially hating) her skinny neighbour, Catherine (Michaela Watkins). Flushed with success as, little by little, she runs further each day and the pounds start to drop off, Brittany decides to train for the New York marathon. Entry is by lottery, though, and when she fails to gain a place she dejectedly chucks in her goal. Around the same time, she gets a job as a dog-walker/pet-sitter and develops a weird friendship ‘with benefits’ with Jern (Uktarsh Ambudkar), a fellow pet-sitter with whom she temporarily shares digs belonging to a wealthy couple who are currently out of town. When they get kicked out by the horrified owners, Brittany returns to her hometown of Philadelphia, where events force her to reappraise her hopes and dreams… and herself.
A crowd-pleaser at Sundance, Brittany Runs A Marathon is well edited and occasionally quite moving. Bell is fabulous and you can’t help but like Brittany even though she can be a bitch at times and has a huge chip on her shoulder. The actress successfully combines humour and pathos, never making her audience feel that her character is pitiable. Indeed, Colaizzo’s script develops a positive “all body types are beautiful” angle, one that has the audience readily accepting this single person’s dilemma and genuinely hoping that she will succeed in her attempt to address her woes. A modern-day comedy, Brittany Runs A Marathon is geared towards young women who may be facing problems that seem insurmountable and yet, if faced head-on, can be turned around. It’s life-affirming to see pictures of the real ‘Brittany’ as the end credits roll. She looks happy.