The “journey to be a better person” story has been done over by Hollywood more times than you can count, but “Brittany Runs A Marathon” takes on the material with some extra dimensions that allow us to really connect with the title character and that journey for self improvement.
Jillian Bell (Office Christmas Party, Fist Fight) stars as Brittany Forgler, an underachieving party girl, who gets a wake-up call from her doctor about her health while trying to score prescription drugs. After taking a painful look at her life, she starts running and trying to improve herself with her main goal involving the completion of the New York City marathon.
That description doesn’t sound very unique at all, but Director Paul Downs Colaizzo, really has us questioning whether Brittany really wants to become a better person or if we just want it for her. At other times we’re asking if meeting her goal will even help her at all. This is because Bell does a great job hitting the highs and lows of her character’s story. There is also a much easier to like supporting cast that includes great performances from Michaela Watkins and Lil Rey Howery. I also can’t ignore the use of some great shots here and some clever presentation that gets us even more invested.
I suppose the story won’t be for everyone and Brittany isn’t the most easy person to root for. If the movie doesn’t connect with you, this might become a slog of a race for you to finish.
But if you’ve ever been nervous about stepping in a gym or you’re looking for some unconventional motivation, then this movie will be for you.
Brittany Runs a Marathon:
Grade: B+
Rated: R
Running time: 1Hr 44 minutes
