Run, Fat Boy, Run

Run, Fat Boy, Run is a romantic comedy directed by David Schwimmer, written by Michael Ian Black and Simon Pegg, and starring Pegg, Dylan Moran, Thandie Newton and Hank Azaria, it was released in the UK on 7 September 2007. The film will be released in the United States on 28 March 2008.

Plot

Five years ago Dennis Doyle (Simon Pegg) was about to marry Libby (Thandie Newton), his pregnant fiancée, before getting cold feet and running away during the preparation for the wedding and he's been going in circles ever since. When Dennis discovers that Libby has started seeing high-flying go-getter Whit (Hank Azaria), with their son, Jake, he realises it’s now or never. He finds out that Whit is running the Nike River-run in London, and to prove himself to his doubting friends and, most importantly, Libby, he decides to run the race himself. It takes a lot of motivation from his two "coaches", Gordon, his best friend (Dylan Moran) and Mr. Goshdashtidar, his landlord (Harish Patel). Meanwhile, Whit proposes to Libby at her birthday party in front of everyone (including Dennis) at the time when Dennis was repairing his relationship with Libby. Libby accepts and this puts Dennis in a state of depression, just days before the big race, especially when he learns Libby will be moving to the States with Whit and Jake, so he will never get to see Jake again. However, he decides to race anyway, as he has made a deal with Mr. Goshdashtidar's daughter in which he will be evicted if he doesn't finish and Gordon has all his money resting on him completing the race. He starts the race along side Whit, and they tussle for a while at the start of the race, suddenly tripping over each other and badly injuring themselves. Stretchers prepare to take Dennis to hospital. Whit continues, but is taken to hospital after feeling ill at one point in the race. Libby goes to the hospital to find Dennis, as she was horrified to see him injure himself so badly, but only finds Whit. The doctor tells him he is not actually injured and has only "hit the wall", an expression used by Whit earlier, to describe the runner's feeling of tiredness and failure. The term actually indicates the point when a runner has run out of stored glycogen supplies, and needs to refuel, slow down or stop completely. Dennis has in fact refused to be transported to hospital or even get medical attention and is continuing the race well into the afternoon and evening with a sprained ankle. Meanwhile, back at the hospital, Whit, in an outrage, calls Jake a "little shit" as Jake plays with Whit's hospital bed. This angers Libby and spells the beginning of the end of their relationship. Dennis receives a motivating party going with him on the route and also a lot of television attention. Back at home, Libby, Jake and Whit see a television replay of the Whit-Dennis tussle, with Whit claiming Dennis was responsible for the fall. However, the replay shows that in fact Whit had deliberately tripped Dennis up and got tangled up as Dennis was falling. This results in Libby and Jake storming out on Whit and going to meet Dennis at the end of the race, who has gone through an emotional journey, involving flashbacks to his past. Eventually he finishes and the film ends with him asking the again single Libby to dinner, marking the rekindling of their relationship.

Stephen Merchant

This film featued a second cameo from Stephen Mercahnt in a Simon Pegg film. The first being Hot Fuzz. In this movie he played a charity runner who is accidently injured allowing Peggs character to take his place