Run Fat Boy Run

Mr. Pegg's perfect performance, a solid supporting cast and a steady directing hand by Mr. Schwimmer make this funny and sweet movie a success.

At times, Friends graduate David Schwimmer directs his feature theatrical debut, "" with the delicacy of a baggypants comedian waving a rubber chicken for attention.

This is not a film with blazingly original ideas or a groundbreaking script -- I guessed the ending before the movie even started -- but it has a sweet nature, an abundance of laughs and plenty of Pegg to spare.

The movie trots out many laughs and exudes a warmth that doesn't get too fuzzy.

An English comedy directed and co-written by Americans, the humor falls not unappealingly somewhere between the two. Which means that along with subtle wit and clever humor, we also get men hitting each other where it hurts the most.

David Schwimmer veers a long way from his Friends days with this oddly paced comedy.

Simon Pegg isn't fat but -- as fans of Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead can attest -- he is funny. That makes you forget that Pegg doesn't measure up to the description of the title character he plays in Run Fatboy Run.

It's directed with warmth, humor and intelligence by David Schwimmer, who has learned a thing or two about comedy from a decade on Friends.

Director David Schwimmer proves he possesses filmmaking finesse, having wisely chosen strong comic material for his debut behind the camera.

There's a cheeky, cross-continental exuberance to Run Fatboy Run that lifts it over its predictability and keeps you laughing louder than you know you should.

The surprise about Run Fatboy Run is a stunner: How did two of the least funny, most off-putting television stars create such a buoyant romantic comedy?

It may be the kind of film that will make you smile more than laugh, but you'll smile a lot.

The presence of Simon Pegg and Dylan Moran elevates what might have been merely a pleasant, harmless but ultimately forgettable romantic comedy, as the duo take even the most obvious physical gags and take them to funnier places.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about Run Fatboy Run is that it is directed by Friends star David Schwimmer, whose rookie effort is never less than competent. But it also doesn't rise to the level of inspired.

Run Fatboy Run isn't going to win any prizes for fresh questions. But it's just fleet enough to hold its own in the middle of the pack.

British comic actor Simon Pegg has impressed in the cult hits and Hot Fuzz. He even stole scenes from Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible 3.

It’s a slow go at first, but director David Schwimmer’s moderately amusing British rom-com picks up speed once Simon Pegg’s couch potato decides to run a 26-mile marathon in the name of love.

A funnier-than-expected comedy directed by Friends alum David Schwimmer.

As a comedy, the Anglo-American movie Run Fatboy Run isn't likely to lure Oscar voters.

Run Fatboy Run is pleasant but unfocused, a romantic farce, trying very hard to be sweet when it needs to be a bit more cheeky.

David Schwimmer shows just enough promise behind the camera to deserve another chance.

When making a film called Run Fatboy Run, how about hiring a Fatboy? Watching a scrawny guy run doesn't provide a lot more comedic surprise than Run Kenyan Guy Run would have.

This is the directorial debut of David Schwimmer (of Friends fame), who juggles the sitcom cliches as well as the predictable script allows.

Why in hell is queens-born David Schwimmer making his directing debut with a British farce? Damned if I know. But the Friends star has a welcome eye for laughs that sneak in around familiar corners.

The title's more fun than the movie at times, but Simon Pegg and Hank Azaria energize Run Fatboy Run to an acceptable lowbrow comic plateau.

The movie itself is a mild, vaguely Farrelly Brothers-ish romantic comedy about an underdog who -- let's not kid ourselves that this even counts as a spoiler -- ultimately gets the girl.

Run Fatboy Run is the directorial debut of ex-Friends actor David Schwimmer, who is much better behind the camera than in front of it.

Run Fatboy Run is filled to the brim with snarky cred. But don’t let that fool you, because at the heart of this very funny blue collar tale is one of the best romantic comedies to come along in some time.

Run Fatboy Run isn't particularly hilarious or moving, but it's got just enough humor and pathos to render its myriad flaws almost forgivable. Almost.

David Schwimmer's London-based directorial debut flags well before the finish line.

The regular guy-ness of British comic actor Simon Pegg is one of his biggest selling points. Even when he was blindly leading friends toward almost certain death in Shaun of the Dead, he had our sympathy.

It's an awkward British thing -- part broad Mr. Beanish silliness, part heartfelt character humor, with some halfhearted tweaking of sports movie cliches thrown in for good measure.

Director David Schwimmer (yep, Ross from Friends) puts his strong cast through the paces, but this thin-on-laughs Fatboy stumbles more than sprints.

Thanks almost entirely to star Simon Pegg, Run Fatboy Run succeeds as a mildly entertaining comedy about yet another 30-year-old boy who decides to get his act together for an out-of-his-league woman.

Far from the self-conscious genre deconstruction that fans might expect from star Simon Pegg, Run Fatboy Run is actually a relentlessly rule-following romantic comedy.

Those who believe American and British comedy are entirely different species will find their world view upheld by the mule that is Run Fatboy Run.

David Schwimmer, who has directed episodic TV, shows off a winning competency with Run Fatboy Run, a likable, if formulaic, feel-good romantic comedy set in contemporary London.

Schwimmer, who has directed episodic TV, shows off a winning competency with Run Fatboy Run, a likable, if formulaic, feel-good romantic comedy set in contemporary London.

A less-than-outrageous romantic farce, it stops and takes the time to let us say, "Awwww," often at the expense of laughs.

Uninspired but filled with enough local London color to be passably entertaining, Run Fatboy Run is a comedy-drama about self-empowerment that feels like a low-grade Oprah.

The talented Thandie Newton is wasted in yet another passive role as the romantic prize fought over by the two men.

The title is our first clue that this is a broad comedy and, from start to finish, there's never a detour from the well-worn path.

Where are the jokes? Too much of "" directed by David Schwimmer, provokes the question.

The film's bright spot is Irish comedian Dylan Moran. He's fresh, unpredictable and genuinely funny -- everything the film isn't.

Without much spunk or wit, the movie’s so pathetically average that you can barely muster the energy to have an opinion about it.

It's an amiable, if unremarkable, romantic comedy that works in spite of its heavy-handed Hollywood sensibilities.

There's nothing edgy or new about Run Fatboy Run. But titular Fatboy Simon Pegg -- who notes that he's not fat, just unfit -- is funny enough to make the mild British romantic comedy mildly enjoyable.

Run Fatboy Run is the type of romantic comedy apt to be described as "nice" or "sweet," both of which are codewords for "unexceptional" and "useless."

Most of the movie's laughs revolve around things like blisters and jock itch.

The Board of Underappreciated Bodily Fluids in Film rejoices. The rest of us, not so much.

Given the talent involved, Run Fatboy Run should be able to sprint to the finish line. Instead, it spends too much time dragging its heels.

As far as David Schwimmer's feature directorial debut is concerned, Run Fatboy Run is a generic, cookie-cutter romantic comedy.

Director David Schwimmer bloats this slapdash concept into dim, witless overkill.

For every nice moment there are twice as many cliche-riddled scenes and three times as many sight gags and disgusting, didn't-need-to-see-that moments.

Every ounce of comedy is so forced and full-on ridiculous that when characters express even a smidgen of sentiment, it feels like a parody.

The picture is yet another rom-com redemption narrative -- you know, one of those pictures wherein the hero/heroine is a total loser and/or louse for two thirds of the film, then suddenly, and implausibly, straightens out to win the day at the end.

Run Fatboy Run, the first movie Friends star David Schwimmer has directed, seems to have been packaged at the Farrelly brothers manufacturing plant.