BRITTANY RUNS A MARATHON
US, 2019, 104 minutes, Colour.
Jillian Bell, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Jennifer Dundas, Patch Darragh, Alice Lee, Erica Hernandez, Max Pava, Michaela Watkins, Dan Bittner, Mikey Day, Lil Rel Howery, Kate Arrington.
Directed by Paul Downs Colaizzo.
Here is a serious comedy or, perhaps, a comic serious drama, with 20 somethings as the target audience. Or, perhaps more accurately, late 20 somethings.
Brittany herself, Jillian Bell, is 28 and somehow rather stuck in her life, a job helping in the theatre, another job in cleaning, finding it harder to get out of bed, always late, and putting on weight. She has a roommate who generally looks glamorous but who puts her down. Brittany also tends to put other people down. Is she going anywhere else herself but down?
When she visits the doctor hoping to get a drug prescription, he challenges her to get active. It seems unlikely at first, but she does try, and, since the title itself is something of a spoiler, we know she is going to get active.
One of the troubles, of course, is that Brittany has a very low self-image, memories of her mother abandoning the family, being cared for by her sister and her sister’s kind husband, moving from Philadelphia to New York City, getting an apprenticeship in advertising but her life becoming something of a flop. But, there is an amusing moment when she goes to a gym, listens to the spiel, then asks the price and realises that she can do the same kinds of things out in the fresh air at no cost!
Brittany is set weight loss target and intends to enrolled in the New York Marathon. So, a great deal film focuses on exercise, trying to meet her goals, making friends with some of the people she has looked down on, meeting a somewhat slothful but genial young, Jern (Utkarsh Ambudkar) who cleans with her and they occupy the house of wealthy couple’s house clean and who are away on holidays.
One of the troubles is that Brittany, with her low self-image, can be very mean to people which elicits mean responses in return. This comes to a head when she injures her leg, cannot participate in the marathon, goes home to visit the family and is exceedingly mean to a woman who is something of a mirror-image of herself.
Despite the troubles, and there are more, we know that Brittany is going to recuperate eventually, apologises to the woman she insulted and receives a positive message in return – which means then that the film focuses on hope as it builds up to the marathon itself, Brittany entering, finding it difficult, tempted to pull out, encouraged by all her friends who are watching. And so for characters and audiences alike, a happy ending.
1. The title? The challenge, commitment, completion?
2. The New York settings, apartments, homes, streets, theatre, restaurants, atmosphere? The contrast with Philadelphia, cityscapes, home? Musical score?
3. Jillian Bell as Brittany, her career, age, size? Brittany’s back story, mother leaving, the effect on the father, her sister, Demetrius looking after her?
4. Introduction to Brittany, snoring in bed, late, unreliable, work at the theatre, the reaction of the staff, her cleaning job, sharing her room with Gretchen, Gretchen’s glamour, sharing with Jern, talking with him? Occupying the house? The owners return?
5. The visit to the doctor, the diagnosis, wanting drugs, his advice?
6. The challenge, to exercise or not? Catherine, her studio, Brittany’s dislike and comments? Catherine’s marriage situation, divorce, children? Her calling in to see Brittany, rejected? The range of friends? Exercise, going to the gym, costing too much, diet?
7. The transition, becoming more involved, hard work, running, continuing, persevering? The exercise with friends?
8. Jern, character, his work, in himself, talking, his art, the sexual relationship, casual, his talk about friendship?
9. Brittany and her blocking out anybody who wanted to help her? The offer of the cheque, her blunt refusal? Her self-image?
10. Jern and his help with Internet dating, descriptions of her? The various encounters, talk, sexual advances, backing out?
11. The injury, going to the doctor, the visit to Philadelphia, her drinking, Jasmine and her being mean to her, the speech, Demetrius and his reprimand, Brittany sending flowers, the message – and Jasmine’s sympathetic return note?
12. The range of the other characters, relationships, the clash with Gretchen and being mean to her?
13. One year passing, her work, advertising, with Jern, his proposal?
14. Her running, everybody cheering, stopping, persevering?
15. Her final achievement, the message to anyone in the audience with low self-image?
