I just got done watching Run Fatboy Run on satellite, and while it was not a great movie, i'm pretty sure you could make it into one with just a few changes. first, change the star. Simon Pegg (Shawn of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) is funny in the role, and does his level best to carry the romantic and heartfelt scenes, but he fell short of ever nailing it. The supporting cast all did their jobs well enough. Thandie Newton (Traffic, Pursuit of Happyness, W) shines as Pegg's long-suffering ex/baby mama, while Hank Azaria is her over-acheiving new BF. Dylan Moran and Harish Patel, Pegg's quirky friends who train him to win his ex back by running a marathon, perform admirably too...one little problem: Pegg (who co-wrote the film) just wasn't right for the part. He wasn't funny enough, dramatic enough, or (most importantly) FAT enough. close your eyes and imagine this same story starring Jack Black, Anthony Anderson, Seth Rogan or Chris Farley (RIP, big guy...) and i bet you'll be peeing yourself laughing (well, hopefully not literally) before changing even one word of the script. even fat people find fat dude comedy hilarious if you make the fat dude hapless and lovable (and having a hot slimmy like Newton for him to hook up with at the end helps too!). this script did it's job well.
by and large, audiences don't ask much of romantic comedies, so i think this movie is a fair-to-middlin' representation of the genre. but imagine this comedy with the Farrely Brothers (There's Something About Mary) or Judd Apatow (40 Year Old Virgin, Forgetting Sarah Marshal) at the helm. these guys know JUST how to combine salty comedy and bitter-sweet romantic situations for explosive effect! that said, it's a safe bet this movie will never get remade. so here's an even BETTER idea:
This movie should DEFINITELY be made into a comic! i know, i know... you've never read a romantic comedy comic book... but if it was written by Apatow, let's say, with art by Frank Quitely, the right marketing plan could make it a crossover smash! as i said, the cast in this was very colorful and the story framework was tight... imagine Quitely pushing the character designs to their limits and the extra detail you could put into the OGN format! Quitely knows how to create expressive, attractive characters and give them a beautiful sense of weight (which you need to draw hot chicks and fat dudes, as it turns out), and could infuse extra drama and comedy where appropriate into the pages! i'd buy that comic, wouldn't you?
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2 comments:
i would definitely LOVE to see this as a comic. i read your review of "Ghost Town" and I think Ricky Gervais would have been a great choice to star in this instead of Simon Peg. he's just chunky enough to pull of swell fat comedy, but not so fat as to make a marathon out of the question.
word. Ricky Gervais would be AWESOME in that role!
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