One Step at a Time: "Brittany Runs a Marathon" a naturally inspiring crowd-pleaser with humor, honesty, and a winning Jillian Bell

Brittany Runs a Marathon (2019)

103 min.

Release Date: August 23, 2019 (Limited); September 13, 2019 (Wide)

Like Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy before her, Jillian Bell has stolen scenes over the years in comedic supporting roles, like in 2014’s “22 Jump Street,” 2016’s “Office Christmas Party,” and 2017’s “Rough Night,” and finally receives the opportunity to headline her own movie, and deservedly so. The writing-directing debut of Paul Downs Colaizzo, “Brittany Runs a Marathon” isn’t so much a straight-up comedy as it is a crowd-pleaser and a rather perceptive character study with humor, honesty, wisdom, and painfully relatable introspection, not to mention a winning lead performance by Bell.

Hailing from Philadelphia with past dreams of being a commercial jingle writer, 28-year-old Brittany Forgler (Jillian Bell) is now at a crossroads in her Manhattan life. She drinks a lot, stays out late, and sleeps in late, being perpetually late to her job as an Off-Broadway theater greeter. When she sees the doctor, looking to score Adderall, she is told that her high body mass index considers her to be obese. At first, Brittany feels insulted that she’s been ordered to lose about 50 pounds in order to be healthy, but she soon comes to terms with her insecurities and sedentary lifestyle. As she gets to know more about her neighbor, avid runner Catherine (Michaela Watkins), Brittany tries just jogging one city block and then gets invited to join Catherine on a group run. It’s not easy at first, but Brittany soon makes friends with Seth (Micah Stock). Once she begins making more progress on her weight loss and runs a 5K, Brittany sets a goal for herself in training for the New York City Marathon. It’s more than just about getting healthy—and it’s about finishing, not winning—but it’s about finally taking control of her life and feeling good about herself, physically but also mentally and emotionally.

No longer a comedic sidekick just as Brittany is tired of being the fat, funny, self-deprecating sidekick in her group of friends, Jillian Bell gives one of those carefully modulated performances that allows her to perform comedy—her natural bread and butter—but also stretch her dramatic chops to convey Brittany’s lows, like facing the toxicity of her friendship with social media-obsessed roommate Gretchen (Alice Lee). The script allows Brittany to be an unlikable jerk even after she’s lost weight, like in a scene where she projects her frustration and unhappiness on to a plus-sized woman who shows up with a thinner husband at her brother-in-law’s (Lil Rel Howery) birthday barbecue. As flawed as she is and full of setbacks as her soul-searching journey is, we want to see Brittany persevere and ultimately succeed.

The supporting cast can’t help but shine, all of them playing characters that break surface-level molds. The always-reliable Michaela Watkins is excellent, finding devastating layers in Catherine who finally airs out her problems to Brittany when the two actually meet for the first time, despite living in the same apartment building. Micah Stock is wonderful as Seth, Brittany’s first real running buddy, and Utkarsh Ambudkar (2018’s “Basmati Blues”) makes a lovable foil as Jern, a slacker with whom Brittany finds herself housesitting and caring about.

Save for a few moments where scenes feel like they have been trimmed just as they’re getting started, director Paul Downs Colaizzo adeptly guides his film and its tonal shifts. Revealing itself to be a true story in the credits with stills of the real Brittany (Colaizzo’s former roommate), “Brittany Runs a Marathon” is naturally inspiring without coming off manipulative or cloying, or even saying that running a marathon is an instant cure-all for self-improvement. It's safe to say that joyful tears will have to be wiped away when Brittany accomplishes her goal.

Grade: B +