Whether you’re running a physical marathon yourself, or just trying to get through the marathon of life, Brittany Runs a Marathon is the feel-good dramedy that will inspire you to face your fears and accomplish your goals.
The movie stars Jillian Bell as Brittany, a woman in her late 20s who, realizing she needs to make some positive changes in her health and her life, decides to train for the New York City Marathon. The film is based on the true story of a friend of the writer and director, Paul Downs Colaizzo, who makes his directorial debut with Brittany Runs a Marathon.
For a first-time director, I’d say this film accomplished what it set out to do, which was to tell a true, upbeat story, mixing heartwarming moments with real life drama and struggles. It was funny and enjoyable, but also had its sincere moments, showing the power of human persistence and willpower.
The film also starred Michaela Watkins, Lil Rel Howery, Micah Stock, and Utkarsh Ambudkar, with all their characters playing a key role in Brittany’s development throughout the movie, while having their own storylines progress and develop as well, whether it be having another baby with a long-term partner or working through a difficult divorce settlement. All were played naturally, each bringing their own personal style to the story, while still feeling real and relatable.
The characters all acted quite confident on the outside, while slowly revealing, throughout the film, the real humans within – with their fears, and nerves, and insecurities. Bell played this especially well, with good facial and body expressions to show an outer confidence, despite her character struggling with self-acceptance throughout.
With a bit of romance and a lot of friendship, sportsmanship, and everyday human life and struggle, most people will find a way to relate to the film in one way or another. Even if you’ve never tried to lose weight or run a marathon, everybody can relate to the feelings of success, failure, determination, and trying to achieve a goal. Myself, I’ve been struggling getting through the final year of my undergrad due to a concussion I sustained back in June. Thoughts of just giving up and taking an extra year or two were prominent in the back of my mind, but with a positive mindset and determination, this movie made me feel like I can persevere through my struggles and accomplish anything I put my mind to.
The dialogue was natural, with appropriate emotion from the actors and response from the audience at appropriate times. The pacing was a little rocky at times, either too fast or too slow for the movement of the scene and the movie overall. There was a “one year later” time-jump at the end that felt too big for the amount of time the movie had left to explain what had happened in the gap.
My favourite thing to watch was the camera work itself. There were lots of cityscapes, emphasizing the city in which Brittany was to run. There were lots of close-ups and handheld shots to emphasize certain things, like faces, bodies (especially Brittany’s), clothing, running shoes and feet, and food. There were also a lot of two-shots with Brittany and someone else, showing Brittany comparing herself and her body to others or how she reacts to her interactions with others.
One shot I particularly loved was on Brittany’s first attempted run, the city block ahead of her begins to warp and extend itself as she gets close to the end. This shows how daunting it is to get out there and try something new–how a small activity can feel a lot larger when it’s new and nerve-wracking, especially with fear of judgement looming over you. These interesting choices for camera focus authenticated the movie, helping capture the uncomfortable awkwardness of everyday life.
Overall, I thought the film was a hit. It had good acting, great, creative cinematography, and lots of heartwarming tears from the audience. I left the theatre wanting to run a marathon, and though I’ll probably never run an actual one, the feelings of anticipation and excitement that come with the thought of accomplishing your goals still remain.
Featured graphic by Sara Mizannojehdehi.
