Rating: 6 / 10

Starring: Simon Pegg, Thandie Newton, Hank Azaria

Plot: Five years after leaving his pregnant fiancée (Newton) at the altar, disheveled Dennis (Pegg) decides to run a marathon to win her back.

The good: “Run Fatboy Run” only works because of Pegg.

Pegg plays an unmotivated, chubby smoker who somehow was able to impregnate a woman of Newton’s stature. He works as a security guard at a clothing store for women and lives in a shoddy, one-bedroom apartment. Overall, he’s the definition of a schlub and Pegg hits all the right notes.

Even though he carries the film through the maze of stereotypical thematic elements that could be found in “Love Actually,” Pegg is accompanied by a strong supporting performance from Azaria.

The two actors play off of each other perfectly. Azaria’s take on the uber-macho and overly ambitious Whit is a great foil to the ne’er-do-well Dennis. After Whit takes Dennis to his “spin class” at the gym, he gets completely nude in the locker room and proceeds to present his assets in an almost triumphant display.

It’s nice to see Pegg has left the comfort zone that “Shaun of the Dead” and “Hot Fuzz” provided. Maybe it’s not fair to compare a romantic comedy to genre-spoofing satires, but Pegg has proved he has range. Hopefully he can execute these skills when he plays Scotty in the upcoming “Star Trek” film.

The bad: On paper, an old script by the brilliant Michael Ian Black polished up by cult hero Pegg undoubtedly made comedic fanboys rejoice everywhere. The pairing of humor found in “Stella” and “Shaun Of The Dead” sounds like a match made in heaven. Then David Schwimmer came along and ruined everything.

Blockbuster aficionados will remember that Pegg and Schwimmer both starred in the direct-to-DVD debacle “Big Nothing,” which was, appropriately enough, a big nothing. Somehow, someone thought it would be a good idea for Ross from “Friends” to get behind the camera and direct a British comedy.

Schwimmer attempts to add a fresh feel to the British romantic comedy genre with slapstick humor and a totally kickin’ soundtrack, but the movie never gets out of Hugh Grant territory. Even though the people behind this movie want you to think this is a film tailored to the humor that made Pegg famous in America, it’s really just a typical romantic comedy.

That’s not to say that all romantic comedies are bad. It’s just that there was room to venture off the formulaic trail, but no one ever does. The dramatic dynamics are beaten to death within the first couple of scenes and yet we have to go back to these played-out themes throughout the whole film.

The lowdown: “Run Fatboy Run” is a decent choice amid the current slew of mediocre films, but it just barely passes. It’s still fuzzy as to whether the movie is a comedy with drama, or a drama with comedy; nonetheless, it’s a solid way to spend a forgettable afternoon.

All comments are moderated before being published. We will not edit your comments, but we also will not approve those that are abusive, off-topic, attack another poster or contain information we know to be libelous or false.

During peak weekday viewing times, most comments will be reviewed within six hours. For more detailed information, click here.

After submitting your comment, check below for a confirmation message.

• Your name:
• Enter text from image:
  

• Your comment:

* 300-character count. HTML formatting will not display.