Delayed Reaction: Brittany Runs a Marathon

Premise: A woman tries to get her life on track by training for the New York City Marathon.

Sundance Film Festival. You are a warm blanket that's always waiting for me. We all have genres that we have a weakness for. We'll watch even the worst example of the movies and enjoy them. RomComs are a common one. War movies too. Horror fans can take it to an extreme. I have a huge weakness for the Sundance ouvre. Sundance is an independent film festival that takes place every year. It screens dozens of movies and, over time, there's become a formula to a "Sundance movie". It's not intentional, but it happens. The movies are mostly shot within 50 miles of Los Angeles or New York. The casts are made up of one of two "movie stars" then a bunch of actors with day jobs on TV who can sneak away for a few days between episodes. They're generally called comedies but end up being gentle dramas. I can normally identify a Sundance movie just by watching it. I started writing this paragraph, assuming that Brittany Runs a Marathon premiered at Sundance. I checked just now, and I was correct.

I could watch a hundred more movie like Brittany Runs a Marathon even though I have a lot of problems with the movie. The movie treats Brittany like she's the protagonist of the movie. Everyone she meets seems to immediately see potential in her. She makes friends with people she actively pushes away. I was constantly bothered by the lack of fallout from her actions. The only reason she's ever isolated and alone is because she chooses to be. Also, as someone who does run a decent amount, I was bothered by how the movie treats running like some magical health elixir. It makes it seem like you can just start running and lose 20 pounds easy. It glosses over the proper eating and healthier living parts like they are just another detail.

Weirdly, the thing that bothered me the most though was the treatment of the best friend character. They make her way more of a villain than they need to and never give her a hint of redemption. Presumably, Brittany and her were friends for a reason. But, they get it one fight and Brittany moves out and completely cuts her out of her life. The one time we see the friend later, Brittany is kind of a jerk to her. I think the "I'm a serious runner" line was supposed to be a victorious moment, but it just came off as petty. It seems wild to me that there wasn't a scene later on where the friend admits that she was a jerk and they make up. Like, why wasn't she in the crowd at the end of the movie holding up an affirmational sign for Brittany? That would've been plenty to finish her story arc.

I'm being way too hard on this movie though.

I liked watching it. Jillian Bell is a likable screen presence without sanding off her edges. I liked the idyllic view of New York City and it's nice to see a movie about someone earnestly trying to better herself (and succeeding). If you are into Sundance movies, this is a perfectly fine representative.

Verdict: Weakly Don't Recommend