I had great
expectations going to the theater to watch “Run Fatboy Run”.
Truthfully, when it comes to judging-a-book-by-its-cover, the title
was a turn off. It wasn’t until I discovered who was behind
the movie, that I started looking forward to sitting down to a bucket
of popcorn.
For most, the name Simon Pegg doesn’t evoke the same Pavlovian
response. For those of you with a more eclectic taste for film,
you know Pegg from his first commercially successful U.S. release
“Shaun of the Dead” (2004), the quirky British parody
of the Romero “Dead” franchise (“Dawn of the Dead”,
et al). I don’t want to miss the opportunity to recommend renting
the cult classic comedy DVD (just be prepared for lots of blood,
lot’s of “F” bombs, and relentlessly dry British
humor).
While I’m being complimentary, Pegg turned around, with the
same British wit, and lampooned the American cop/buddy movie genre
in “Hot Fuz”z (2007). From “Lethal Weapon” to
“Die Hard” and everything in between, “Hot Fuzz”
is a send off that my British friends would call, “spot on.”
“Shaun of the Dead” and “Hot Fuzz” were both
made on a shoestring budget and I think that is part of their charm.
Both of these movies are not just mockeries of their iconic heroes.
“The Naked Gun”, Leslie Neilsen-esque, teen parodies like
“Scary Movie” and “Meet the Gladiators” have
proven mildly successful at poking fun at the box office giants.
Pegg’s efforts seem like much more than that; they are a comic
homage to their influences.
If you are part of the “Shaun of the Dead” cult or the
“Hot Fuzz” follow up, what is woefully missing this time
around, is Pegg’s sidekick Nick Frost. You wouldn’t go
to see an Abbot or Costello movie; there were no Laurel and not
Hardy comedies ever made. Frost’s absence was the first of
many disappointments. Mind you, this is my American perspective.
Pegg, a British writer and actor and Frost, a British character
actor aren’t comedy partners, per say.
“Run Fatboy Run”, I assumed would be a classic Pegg skewering
of the date movie, a comedic tribute to the “chick flick.”
It was none of those things. It was a simply average romantic comedy.
No wit, no irony, no Nick Frost. These things, I can blame on the
director, Friends alumni, David Schwimmer. He completely lost the
importance of what made Pegg a hit with American audiences.
“Run Fatboy Run” would be the Simon Pegg lead roll that
would allow him to market a DVD Boxed Set. I would buy it with a
two-out-of-three-ain’t-bad mentallity; but I’m really
hoping, now that Pegg is recognized as a creative writing force,
that directors remember what made Pegg’s work noteworthy.
Finally, speaking of shoestring budgets (I always get in trouble
when I forget to remind you in advance) the 8th Annual Phoenix Film
Festival runs April 3rd through the 10th. Check out their website
for all your Festival needs at www.phoenixfilmfestival.com.
