Review of Brittany Runs a Marathon (2019) by Markhreviews — 27 Sep 2019

In his screenwriting and directorial debut, Paul Downs Dolaizzo has made a film with a surprising level of depth, insight and self-confidence. And there are plenty of laughs along the way. In Doliazzo’s script, the protagonist, Brittany Forgler, is inspired by Dolaizzo’s former roommate Brittany O’Neill, although the story is not strictly biographical.

Hoping to score some Adderall, hard-partying Brittany (Jillian Bell, “22 Jump Street”) goes to the doctor. What she receives is wake-up call that she needs to take much better care of herself. So Brittany starts to run – first one block, then two, and so it goes. Eventually, she decides to run the New York City Marathon. But this film is much more about Brittany’s journey in preparing for the marathon, and what she learns about herself along the way, than it is about whether she completes the race.

This role is a perfect fit for Jillian Bell, who began studying improv at age 8 and eventually joined the experimental group The Groundlings in LA to further hone her craft. Throughout, this show soars when Bell as Brittany offers her deft impressions and observational one-liners, which serve as a necessary antidote at times when the script threatens a sugar overload that could threaten brittle diabetics.

Since Brittany spends some time in Philadelphia, in the hands of a less conscientious writer/director, this film could easily have trod the footsteps of “Rocky” running up the steps of the Art Museum, arms raised in triumph. Instead, “Brittany…” delves into topics that are much deeper and much more interesting – how many of us can be our own protagonist and antagonist, the importance of relationships versus personal isolation, the significance of valuing the distance traveled and not just the achievement of specific short-term goals. Brittany’s friends Catherine (Michaela Watkins, “Wanderlust”) and Seth (Micah Stock, “Escape at Dannemora”) provide reliable friendship, even when it’s unwanted. As Jern, Utkarsh Ambudker (“The Mindy Project,” “Pitch Perfect”) provides wanted comic relief as well as living proof that relationships can be complicated.

“Brittany Runs a Marathon” offers a good heart, thoughtful insights, with laughs and life observations that are spot-on and well-earned. Although people who run marathons rarely say “I wish we could run just a few more miles,” the film left this viewer wistfully wanting more.