Brittany Runs a Marathon — Movie Review
by KJ Proulx
The formula of someone overcoming the odds and willing themselves into success has been done over and over again throughout the history of cinema. People complain about there being too many films based on comic books these days, and while I admit there are a lot, I would argue that there is an overabundance of every genre nowadays. There’s so much content out there that the same story is probably told twice in the same year, if not more. It’s an embarrassment of riches in terms of how many movies and shows are available for audiences to watch, so it’s hard to see everything. Brittany Runs a Marathon looked like a movie that followed a very familiar formula, but I was still very much interested. Now streaming on Amazon Prime, I’ve finally had the chance to check it out.
Unhappy with her weight, diet, and overall daily routines, Brittany (Jillian Bell) decides to motivate herself to take baby steps, with an eventual goal of running a marathon. With the addition of new friends and other positive influencers entering her life, this positive story is one worth watching. Although she isn’t always the most likeable character, that’s the whole point of the movie in the end. It’s really about not letting others get you down and taking it upon yourself to better yourself. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this movie and Jillian Bell had a lot to do with that, surprisingly.
Being the secondary character to many stars throughout the course of her career and the comedic relief in films like 22 Jump Street or Rough Night, it’s roles like that, that had me disliking her as a performer, but now I see that was just the roles being given to her. She has some real, raw talent and I actually look forward to seeing what she does next. I think she is a much better dramatic actress than a comedic one, although she does have her moments. The character is what makes this story good, but her performance is what ended up making the final film as good as it is.
Writing, directing, and producing his first feature film, Paul Downs Colaizzo does some stellar work here. From page to screen, he has adapted this story in such a way that I’m sure will resonate with many viewers. Whether or not you relate to the story on a personal level or not, he does a great job in sharing Brittany’s story with those around her. I can see certain viewers seeing themselves in some of the secondary characters and having realizations of their own. This is a really well-done film all around.
In the end, Brittany Runs a Marathon may suffer at times from the lead characters making some unlikeable decisions, but it’s ultimately a very inspirational story. From start to finish, I found myself rooting for her to get where she wanted to be. To reiterate, the screenplay and direction by Paul Downs Colaizzo are fantastic, Jillian Bell delivers the best performance of her career to date, and the final act of the movie was worth watching the film for. It really is one of the better movies of 2019.
Rating: 4.5/5
Check out the trailer below:
