Run Fatboy Run
This familiar underdog story follows a rather predictable race to the finish line, but Simon Pegg and a fun supporting cast make sure it never loses pace.
PRE GAME 🍿
Welcome back to Balls on Film! 👋🏻
I think I just about got all of my running puns out in that sub-headline. Phew!
I can’t believe we’re at December already. I tend to want to just stick to Christmas movies at this time of year, but there’s not a whole lot of movies that tick both the Christmas and Sports boxes. You’ve got Rocky 4 and Cool Runnings, and that’s about it. We also covered them last December! Instead, I thought about sports movies that are pure feel-good fun, which is also a type of film that I gravitate towards at this time of year. Run Fatboy Run might not be set during winter, but it definitely falls into the feel-good fun category!
It felt good to be back with you last week talking sports movies again. I really appreciated all of your messages and comments on last week’s Smashing Machine review.
I’ve got next week’s movie lined up already (more on that later), but I’d like to hear from you on what you’d like to see added to the schedule for 2026. I’m going to start planning that soon, so be sure to let me know.
With that, it’s about race time!
FIRST HALF 🏃♂️
As someone who has tried getting back into running a bit later in life recently - and failed due to injury, I found Run Fatboy Run much more relatable than I did when I first saw it 18 years ago. What is the same as the first viewing is that it is still a very easy and pleasant watch, if all very predictable. It follows the typical rom-com redemption formula almost beat for beat, but it’s really elevated by the charm of Simon Pegg and a fun supporting cast.
The story follows Dennis, who leaves his pregnant fiancée Libby at the altar. Realizing his mistake five years later, Dennis tries to win her back by proving he’s changed and capable of commitment, by deciding to run the London Marathon despite being significantly out of shape. He’s also competing against Libby’s very successful new boyfriend, Whit, played brilliantly by Hank Azaria.
If you’re a fan of Simon Pegg’s earlier work, then you’re in for a treat here. This is him in his wheelhouse - frazzled, self-sabotaging and very likeable and relatable. Watching this again now brought me right back to stuff like Spaced and Shaun of the Dead and how those instantly made me a huge fan of his. He brings the same energy to Dennis, and he’s the best part of the movie. Pegg has always excelled at playing characters who are flawed and very average on the surface, but with a huge heart. Run Fatboy Run taps right into that, and it works. It’s all the best Simon Pegg stuff in a very easy to root for character. There’s a lot of fun physical humour and quick-fire jokes too. It’s just a real crowd-pleaser. If you’ve tried to get back into running or any kind of fitness routine after a long time away for whatever reason, you’ll also find a lot to relate to here as well. I really felt those early run struggles that Dennis was going through, and it’s not something that really resonated with me when I watched this in my late 20s.
The supporting cast are great here too. Thandiwe Newton plays Dennis’ ex and provides a good bit of emotional heft in the more dramatic scenes. Dylan Moran is at his chaotic best as the Dennis’ best friend. He’s a total degenerate, but in the most likeable way and that’s really something that Dylan Moran and very few others can pull off. Hank Azaria really leans into the smug American finance guy bit, and is such a good villain. He’s initially charming enough, but Azaria walks the line between charming and smarmy so well, and you really want to see him taken down a notch or two as the film sprints (sorry!) towards it’s third act.
As I touched on earlier, there’s no sugar coating the fact that this film is super predictable. You can see every beat coming from a mile (I did it again!) away. From the messy breakup, the regret, the big romantic gesture, the training montage, the new love interest rival and the uplifting finish. It can feel a bit like a checklist of tropes, but it still remains so watchable and fun. There’s a real warmth and earnestness to the film, which makes it easy to forgive its over-predictability.
Until this most recent re-watch, the fact that this was directed by David Schwimmer totally escaped me somehow. Yes, that David Schwimmer. When this originally came out, I think I saw it on a bit of a whim, and just didn’t pay much attention to the director at the time. It feels quite bizarre to think that a British rom-com and sports-comedy hybrid was shaped behind the camera by Ross Gellar himself. But Schwimmer does a great job here and keeps everything really breezy, with solid pacing and some exceptionally funny moments that linger of some reactions and facial expressions for just the perfect amount of time.
Run Fatboy Run doesn’t reinvent the rom-com or sports genres, but it doesn’t need to. It’s warm, familiar and extremely funny and the performances sort of make you welcome that fact rather than it ever feeling stale. It’s a light and breezy comedy with Simon Pegg doing his Simon Pegg-iest stuff, and that’s pretty much always a winning formula. It’s almost guaranteed to put a huge smile on your face, even if you can see the ending coming all the way from the starting line.
Run Fatboy Run is available to rent/buy on most digital platforms.
HALFTIME ⏳
Let’s take a break for halftime.
Okay, no more running puns, I promise!
Here’s what else I’ve been watching and enjoying this week:
THE BEAST IN ME
Netflix are finishing the year strong with an absolute banger that is no doubt going to make my top TV of the year list. This tense psychological thriller features electric performances from Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys, with a truly compelling cat-and-mouse dynamic. Danes plays a grieving author, who starts to look into her charming, and possibly murderous, new neighbour. You’ll rip through this in no time.
Streaming on Netflix.
FIRST, LAST, EVERYTHING
First, Last, Everything is a podcast that digs deep into the human-tech connection. Host (and good friend of mine) Jonathan Reed guides listeners through a guest’s personal history, focusing on three defining pieces of tech: the first inspiration that sparked their journey, their last obsession that’s grabbing them now, and the one device that means everything to them. There’s such a wide range of items discussed here - from vintage software and computers to obscure gadgets and first cameras. There’s also the “Something” segment, a brief historical detour to uncover a forgotten piece of tech. Jonathan has put an incredible amount of work into the podcast, and it’s a joy to listen to. It’ll no doubt spark a few 'I had one of those!’ reactions too. Keep an eye out for the awesome dynamic artwork as you listen too!
Available wherever you get your podcasts.
Brodie Brazil runs a great YouTube channel discussing the sports media landscape, sports business and breaking news. He posted a great video recently on what makes a great sports movie.
Let’s get back to the race!
SECOND HALF 🏃♂️
Let’s jump into some awards and bonus content.
BEST SCENE 🏆
It’s got to be the blister scene! 🤮😂
If you’d really like to watch it, you can do so below…
IMDB TRIVIA HIGHLIGHT 🏆
Per iMDb:
On the March 21st edition of Late Night with Conan O’Brien (1993), Director David Schwimmer discussed the scene between Hank Azaria and Simon Pegg that takes place in the locker room. Generally, if males have to be nude for a scene, they will use a nude (flesh)-colored pouch to cover themselves. However, for some reason, the pouch wouldn’t stay put, and Azaria ultimately decided to forgo wearing it, but told Schwimmer not to say anything to Pegg. The reaction of shock we see from Simon Pegg when Azaria drops his towel is genuine.
BEST LETTERBOXD REVIEW 🏆
Shared universe confirmed?
BONUS FEATURES 💿
Here’s David Schwimmer on making the movie:
And here's the cast answering some downright bizarre questions for FHM (remember that??).
POST-GAME 🍿
Thanks for joining me this week.
Another sports movie I missed discussing with you during my time away was F1. Well, it finally arrives on Apple TV next Friday, so I thought it would be a perfect time to get to it.
Next week will be the final Balls on Film before I stop for a much-needed break - and not just from here. After the year we’ve had, I’m looking forward to just disconnecting from pretty much everything until the new year.
As always, let me know what you’ve been watching and what you thought of Run Fatboy Run.
See you next week! 👋🏻
~James
Honestly, as a guy who has always been a runner with a little bit of extra weight... Simon Pegg: hardly a fatboy.