Schwimmer makes crowd-pleasing directing debut

Director of the movie 'Run, Fat Boy, Run' David Schwimmer poses during
the 32nd Toronto International Film Festival September 11, 2007.[AP]

In his filmmaking debut, actor David Schwimmer heads across the Atlantic but sticks close to the familiar territory of romantic-comedy convention. The result holds few surprises but is crowd-pleasing, and despite lacking marquee stars could do well with the date-night mainstream.

The film benefits from a loveable-loser turn by Simon Pegg, but the "Shaun of the Dead" star's presence might also lead to disappointment for those familiar with his work. Fans of "Shaun" and "Hot Fuzz" might arrive expecting the co-writer of those self-aware comedies to bring some of his genre-savvy meta humor to the rom-com. Pegg shares writing credit here but evidently was brought in simply to add local color, not to lampoon a genre that could use a sharp-witted poke in the eye.

Pegg is Dennis, whose biggest wrong turn in life (and there's been competition) was leaving fiancee Libby (Thandie Newton) at the altar even though she was carrying his child. Five years later, he shares parenting duties, lives in the basement of an Indian widower and secretly hopes to win back Libby's heart.

Good luck to him now that Libby has met Whit (Hank Azaria), who's rich, American, good-looking and even (until the inevitable flaws emerge) an all-around swell guy. Dennis' reconciliation hopes, which seem not to have been on the front burner until Whit's arrival, now rest on his proving to Libby that he's capable of change -- that is, on his response to her familiar-sounding complaint "you've never finished anything in your life." Whit's about to run a marathon, so Dennis' path is clear.

The ensuing training/disappointment/triumph arc follows all the familiar beats, with a diverting turn by Dylan Moran (the prig in "Shaun") as the best friend who bets his savings on Dennis and thus must become his coach despite being just as lazy as Dennis is. Pegg is really the reason to show up -- he and Newton have little chemistry, but she's lovely and he's funny, which suffices.

In place of the absurdist pop-culture humor he's known for, Pegg is given some physical gags (like a gross-out bit involving a pus-filled blister) and left to fill in the gaps with personality. The movie gets some help from fresh pop tunes on the soundtrack, though the score itself tends to be (like the button-pushing flashbacks, motivational dialogue and climactic revelations) fairly on the nose.

Lack of inventiveness aside, the picture offers fewer opportunities for eye-rolling than many of its peers and bodes well for Pegg's prospects in roles outside the niche he has carved with director/co-writer Edgar Wright -- not that fans will want to see him stray far from that partnership.

Cast:

Dennis: Simon Pegg

Libby: Thandie Newton

Whit: Hank Azaria

Gordon: Dylan Moran

Mr. Ghoshdashtidar: Harish Patel

Jake: Matthew Fenton

Maya: India de Beaufort

Director: David Schwimmer; Screenwriters: Michael Ian Black, Simon Pegg; Producers: Robert Jones, Sarah Curtis; Executive producers: Joseph Infantolino, Alexa L. Fogel, Nigel Green, Camela Galano, Rolf Mittweg, Martha Coleman; Director of photography: Richard Greatrex; Production designer: Sophie Becher; Music: Alex Wurman; Costume designer: Annie Hardinge; Editor: Michael Parker.