If you looking for a fun movie this weekend, go to see Brittany Runs a Marathon. The cool comedy/drama has a lot of heart and Jillian Bell’s persona is at the center of it all. She even lost 40 pounds to make the role look authentic, no CGI needed. The fun begins right away and the drama brings a lot of enjoyment through the determination of her character.
Brittany (Jillian Bell), a 28 year old who likes to drink, eat and smoke finds herself being a looser. She’s having trouble getting a relationship with a man because of her being overweight. And, her best friend Gretchen’s (Alice Lee) no help offering Brittany Adderall to boost her self-esteem. Being broke and jobless due to being late for work, she decides to see Doctor Falloway (Patch Darragh) who advises her to lose 40 pounds.
When her upstairs neighbor Catherine (Michaela Watkins) advises her to run off the pounds even to the point of entering the New York City Marathon she goes deeper into the downward spiral she’s in. Director and writer Paul Downs Colaizzo does a terrific job of bringing the story to the big screen. He works on his audience by showing how Brittany has tipped the scales and a loser when it comes to the dating scene. He pushes the concept that anyone can become who they want to be as long as you get the determination and set your sights on a new lifestyle.
Bell truly becomes Brittany and nails the character for a very good show. It’s one of those films that had to be shot from page one of the script to the revealing end. Totally blown away by the changes Jillian Bell made in herself to make the role happen, it really ramped up the outcome for me that ends up a heart warmer.
Brittany Runs a Marathon has been rated R for language throughout, sexuality and some drug material. It makes a great date film or a ladies night out. Check out the credits for a look at shots of the real Brittany O’Neal the inspiration for the film trotting the streets of NYC.
FINAL ANALYSIS: A very good comedy that turns into a life changing drama. (3.5 out of 5 Stars)
Additional Film Information:
Cast: Jillian Bell, Michaela Watkins, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Lil Rel Howery, Micah Stock, Mikey Day, Alice Lee, Kate Arrington, Patch Darragh, Jennifer Dundas,
Directed and written by: Paul Downs Colaizzo
Genre: Drama, Comedy
MPAA Rating: R for language throughout, sexuality and some drug material
Running Time: 1 hr. 44 min.
Opening Date: September 13, 2019
Distributed by: Amazon Studios
Released in: Standard, Color
Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com
