Written and directed by playwright Paul Downs Colaizzo in his feature film directorial debut, Brittany Runs a Marathon is a hilarious comedy that has a surprisingly amount of dramatic depth as a result of its inspirational story of a young single woman living in New York City who decides to take on her overweight body by challenging herself to running the New York City marathon. Based on a true story, Brittany, played by the very talented and funny Jillian Bell, feels like she is at a crossroads in our life with the perception that all in her life is lost and she will forever remain without a boyfriend and with a severe lack of self confidence. After a doctor’s visit in which she is told that she must lose weight for her health, she joins a running group along with a recently divorced middle-aged woman and a out-of-shape thirtysomething gay father. Although they have almost always got along ever since becoming roommates, Brittany begins to have tension with her best friend roommate who is a skinny popular Asian girl with a good-looking boyfriend. The only place Brittany can find solace is when she is with her running friends who seem to understand what she is going through. With her newfound confidence, she also takes a new job as a housesitter for a wealthy couple where she meets the rather eccentric loud-mouthed Jern. Britney and her new lazy coworker have an unusual relationship that makes for some very funny moments between the two obviously talented comedians. Towards the end of the movie, Brittany does go through a depressed phase in which she thinks the marathon is hopeless and moves in with her sister and very loving brother-in-law back home in Philadelphia to distance herself from New York and her new friends. Overall, I found it to be a quite inspiring story of a person overcoming her own struggles in life in order to pursue a truly amazing achievement. However, it is not the sort of movie that is depressing and overly dramatic but rather engages the audience through its very entertaining comedy.
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