Run Fatboy Run is a movie that made me laugh out loud more times than I care to remember, and the film earned each of those moments. As I left the theater, I had a smile on my face and a bounce in my step. Well, sort of. The bottom line is that I liked the movie; it gave us a poor schlub to identify with, an underdog who is a true underdog, not a Hollywood style underdog where some bad makeup and some glasses pass for ugly or pathetic.

However, the further away from the film I get, the more I find my enjoyment becoming slightly diminished. Not to the point of dislike; let's just say that hindsight is 20/20 and looking back the flaws become a bit more pronounced and I realize that it isn't quite as funny as I initially thought. Still, it is a good comedy and well worth spending some time with, particularly if you identify with the fat guy loser.

One thing you need to be aware of going in — do not expect another Shaun of the Dead or Hot Fuzz. For one thing, there is no Nick Frost. Instead you get Dylan Moran, who does a fine job, but is no Nick Frost. Secondly, and possibly more importantly, there is no Edgar Wright, director and co-writer (with Simon Pegg) of Shaun and Fuzz. In his place you get ex-Friend David Schwimmer at the helm and Michael Ian Black as co-writer. Neither one of those two can take the place of Wright. Finally, this is not a spoof or a parody; it is more of a straight-up underdog story.

The high concept behind Run Fatboy Run is that some loser has lucked into the love of a beautiful woman, and on his wedding day he leaves her at the altar, quite literally running away down the street as all of the guests watch. As if that wasn't enough, she is pregnant. I can here you now: "What a loser!" You know what? You'd be right. Any guy lucky enough to find himself with a beautiful, caring woman would probably be running down the aisle to make sure it happened.

The story proper picks up five years later. Our loser, Dennis (Simon Pegg), lives in a small apartment, has put on some pounds, and works as a security guard at a women's clothing store. He also has visitation rights with his young son. One day when he goes to pick him up, late as usual, he has an encounter with his ex, Libby's (Thandie Newton) current beau, Whit (Hank Azaria). This encounter brings up a childlike competitive spirit, as well as the old feelings he still harbors for Libby.

What follows is something of a challenge; he agrees to enter a marathon that Whit is running in. He doesn't do this so much for the benefits of the run, or the charity that it would benefit, so much as the desire to beat Whit and prove to Libby that he is a changed man. It is all in the effort to possibly get back into her life, realizing his mistake as well as his reasons for running away in the first place, reasons that he may not have even been aware of at the time.