Brittany Runs A Marathon

MOVIE TITLE: Brittany Runs A Marathon

RATING: R

LENGTH: 1 hour 44 minutes

Movie Review Mom GRADE: B

IN A NUTSHELL:

Surprisingly emotional, this inspiring Amazon Studios dramedy rom-com offers a fresh and realistic look at a single woman forced to make some changes in her life. We’re all running our own marathon in life, so there are some nuggets of wisdom in this movie we can all learn from. It’s just too bad that it has to include so much garbage to tell the story. It’s actually based on a true story and you get to see pictures of the real Brittany at the end of the film.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Talk and display of “intimate relations” and lots of sexuality. There are a lot of scenes about various kinds of non-marital activities, some with graphic and subtle images.
Profanity, a lot of F-bombs, crude language, name-calling, religious exclamations, scatological terms
Alcohol, drugs (some prescription, some illegal, some addiction)
Brittany is a hot mess and a woman you won’t your daughters to emulate in many ways; however, she learns some important life lessons that you should definitely talk to your kids about.

THEMES:

Change
Feeling good about yourself, identity, self-respect, body image, body shaming
Turning your life around, second chances
Judging people
“Let people in.” – Demetrius (Lil Rel Howery)
Taking responsibility for your life
Friendship
Marriage, divorce, dating
Success, failure
Validation, rejection, acceptance for others and yourself
The balance of taking care of yourself vs. being self-centered/selfish

THINGS I LIKED:

You might or might not be familiar with Jillian Bell, but she’s perfect in this role and gives the movie a very honest performance. She lost 40 pounds during the filming of the movie. She also worked with a marathon trainer to help her learn how to run like a novice in the beginning and then act like a more experienced runner in the end.
I love details like the chipped toe nail polish Brittany had in one scene. Simple and small camera shots that feature those kinds of details can say so much.
New York City is featured in the movie and is always a lovely leading lady. This was the very first time a non-documentary film was allowed to film during the famous New York City Marathon.
Writer/director Paul Downs Colaizzo wrote the script after one of his friends had just finished running the marathon. Her name was Brittany.
Lots of humor.
A lot of women viewers will definitely be able to relate to Brittany’s body shaming struggle in many ways.
The ending makes you want to get out there and run a marathon yourself….well, almost.
The cast includes a lot of faces you think you’ve seen before but can’t remember where. They all did a great job: Michaela Watkins, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Lil Rel Howery, Micah Stock, Alice Lee, Patch Darragh.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

Some sloppy transitions and editing.
It’s formulaic and predictable.
I hate watching people make horrible life choices, even if it’s just a movie.

FUNNY LINES:

“My family wanted to adopt a white girl, so they brought her in.” – Jern (Utkarsh Ambudkar)
“We all end up single anyway.” – Brittany Forgler (Jillian Bell)

“Have you heard of marriage?” – Jern

INTERESTING LINES: