Brittany Runs a Marathon and all the images you see in this review are owned by Amazon Studios
Directed by Paul Downs Colaizzo
Me and Amazon Studios? We have an understanding. Well… not so much an understanding as me having an opinion about them that the multi-billion dollar Mega Corporation doesn’t know or care about. Their movies that come to theaters are often mid-range fare that almost affects the impression of a small studio like STX or a less ambitious NEON, but other than outright disasters like Gringo, they are reliably enjoyable if not particularly stunning achievements. Does their latest outing that will surely be on a streaming box near you measure up to those ho-hum standards, or are we in for another feature more unbearable than their anti-union practices!? Let’s find out!!
Brittany Forglar (Jillian Bell) is your typical millennial washout. She’s living in New York City… somehow supporting herself with a part time job as an usher at a theater I think, but she’s not happy with herself and uses drugs, meaningless sex, and comedy to get her through the days. However, after a visit from the doctor where she tries to get a prescription for uppers, the doctor delivers the harsh truth that her health isn’t all that great and she should probably lose a few pounds; not that weight loss in and of itself is healthy, but a lot of her REAL symptoms instead of the fake ones she’s trying to use to get the drugs can be alleviated or even eliminated entirely if she ate better and exercised more. After some trepidation she does manage to start losing weight which builds up her confidence and she starts improving other aspects of her life including her relationships, her career path, and even plans on running the New York City Marathon as a benchmark for her achievement. However, all this change is coming with a fair bit of resistance; not just form her but her friends as well as she has to look at the reality of her situation and come to terms that maybe some people in her life aren’t good for her and she’ll have to move on to greener pastures no matter how hard it may be. Can Brittany get her life back on track and fulfill her newfound dream of finishing the marathon? What pitfalls will she run into as she starts to make weight loss itself the goal instead of it being a side effect of taking care of herself? Is her ultimate goal to hone her skills like a ninja and become Batman? I mean… that’s the reason we ALL try to get in shape, right?
Continue reading “Cinema Dispatch: Brittany Runs a Marathon”
