Brittany Runs a Marathon

Last updated
Brittany Runs a Marathon
Brittany-runs-a-marathon-Movie-HD-Poster-and-stills-2.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Paul Downs Colaizzo
Written byPaul Downs Colaizzo
Produced by
Starring
CinematographySeamus Tierney
Edited byCasey Brooks
Music byDuncan Thum
Production
companies
  • Material Pictures
  • Picture Films
Distributed by Amazon Studios
Release dates
  • January 28, 2019 (2019-01-28)(Sundance)
  • August 23, 2019 (2019-08-23)(United States)
Running time
103 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$7.4 million [1] [2]

Brittany Runs a Marathon is a 2019 American comedy film written and directed by Paul Downs Colaizzo, in his directorial debut. [3] [4] [5] It stars Jillian Bell, Michaela Watkins, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Lil Rel Howery, and Micah Stock. The film follows an overweight woman in New York City who sets out to lose weight and train for the city's annual marathon.

Contents

It had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 28, 2019 and was released on August 23, 2019, by Amazon Studios.

Plot

Brittany Forgler is a 28-year-old living in [[NYC]], employed as a greeter at an off-Broadway theater. She and her roommate Gretchen, a teacher's assistant dreaming of social media fame, are hard partiers who abuse drugs. Visiting a new doctor to score an Adderall prescription, Brittany receives the unwelcome diagnosis that she is overweight and must get healthier.

Brittany visits a gym only to find even the cheapest membership fee is out of her reach. Despite her fear, she sets small achievable goals, and tries running on her own outdoors. She is invited to run in a group with her neighbor Catherine, whom Brittany detests for her seemingly perfect life.

After another night of partying by Gretchen, Brittany joins the group run and meets Seth, another struggling runner, learning they have equal goals. Brittany, Seth, and Catherine bond and, after a 5K run, set the ultimate goal: running in the New York City Marathon.

Brittany seeks a second job to afford a gym membership and becomes a pet sitter in a wealthy home. On her first day, she meets fellow pet sitter Jern, who is essentially living in the house against the rules. After a falling out with Gretchen over her changing lifestyle, Brittany moves into the house as well, bonding with Jern over their stalled lives. Seth and Catherine's predictions that Brittany will have sex and fall in love with Jern eventually come true.

Brittany gets within five pounds of her goal of losing 45. Unable to win a place in the marathon through a lottery as Seth does, her only hope is to raise enough money for a charity. At Catherine's divorce party, Catherine offers to donate $5000 from her family trust and from Seth so Brittany can run in the marathon. Brittany turns down the offer, saying she does not want pity, and she leaves.

Brittany pushes to lose more weight by running even harder, until one of her shins becomes too painful to walk on. Five weeks from the marathon, her doctor informs her she has a stress fracture and will be unable to run for six to eight weeks, and the damage may be permanent.

Distraught, convinced she will gain back her weight, Brittany returns to the dog-sitting house and discusses the state of her life with Jern. The homeowners return and, disgusted Jern and Brittany have been living there, fire them.

Brittany takes a bus to Philadelphia to visit her sister Cici and brother-in-law Demetrius, who was a father figure to Brittany after their parents' divorce and father's death. She ignores calls and texts from Catherine, Seth, and Jern, saddened to see Seth and Catherine with their marathon medals. That same day, she disrupts Demetrius's birthday party by making comments about an overweight female guest due to her own insecurities. After a stern but heartfelt talk with Demetrius, Brittany returns to New York and her former apartment, now alone.

Brittany continues exercising but stops tracking her weight. She applies for advertising jobs, for which she trained initially, and lands an entry-level position in Tribeca. She reconnects with her friends.

Catherine reveals that running was a distraction from her nasty divorce, explaining that a year ago, she broke her wrist and was prescribed Oxycodone; her husband used it as evidence she had relapsed into drug use, and the court denied her visitation rights to their children. Brittany encourages Catherine to take small steps to win her children back. Brittany sets boundaries with Jern to just be friends while she works on herself.

One year later, Brittany runs in the marathon. At the 22-mile mark, she develops a cramp and has to pause. She rejects medical assistance, but accepts an assistant's offer to help her up. While considering quitting, she finds Seth, his husband and sons, and Catherine in the crowd cheering her on. She also encounters Jern, who says he loves her. She then keeps going and finishes the marathon.

An epilogue reveals Brittany and Jern living together as a couple, but she does not want to marry him despite his suggestion. She kisses him and leaves the house to go on a run.

Cast

Production

The story of Brittany was inspired by Colaizzo's roommate, Brittany O'Neill, who appears in photos before the end credits. [6] The real life Brittany did not lose her parents at a young age, and had a more stable job than the character in the film. Colaizzo wanted to emphasize the inspirational side of the story and take what would usually be treated as a fat sidekick stock character and instead explore her feelings and perspective. [7] The real life Brittany had gotten into running but it was after Colaizzo came up with the film concept that she was inspired to try the take on the New York marathon herself. [6] Tobey Maguire's production company Material Pictures, picked up the film based on the oral pitch. [6] Colaizzo had never had a screenplay turned into a film before and was worried that without his involvement the film might change into something more generic. He put together a presentation and storyboards of how the film should look and convinced producers to allow him to direct his first feature film. [4]

In November 2017, it was announced Jillian Bell, Michaela Watkins, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Lil Rel Howery, Micah Stock and Alice Lee would star in the film, with Paul Downs Colaizzo directing from a screenplay he wrote. Tobey Maguire, Matthew Plouffe, Margot Hand, served as producers on the film, under their Material Pictures and Picture Films banners, respectively. Bell, Downs Colaizzo, and Richard Weinberg served as executive producers. [8] Jolian Blevins and Padraic Murphy served as co-producer and associate producer, respectively. [9]

Filming

The film was the first non-documentary film to be shot at the New York Marathon. [10] The production company went to the New York Road Runners, organizers of the marathon, to coordinate filming and to make sure that they did not get in the way of runners. Crew sizes were restricted and the film makers were not allowed to film on the Queensboro Bridge due to security concerns from the Department of Homeland Security. The film had no budget for visual effects to insert Bell into the race and depended on filming the marathon for real. [11]

Principal photography began in October 2017, in New York City. [12] The film was shot over 29 days. [13] The climactic scene was filmed during the 2017 New York City Marathon, with three filming crews working simultaneously to cover various stages of the race. [11]

Release

It had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 28, 2019. [11] [14] [15] Shortly after, Amazon Studios acquired worldwide distribution rights to the film for $14 million. [16] It was released on August 23, 2019. [17]

Reception

Box office

The film made $175,969 from five theaters in its opening weekend, an average of $35,194 per venue. [18] The final worldwide box office gross was $7.4 million. [1]

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film had an approval rating of 88% based on 187 reviews, with an average rating of 7.3/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Brittany Runs a Marathon is an earnest and hilarious dramedy that finally gives Jillian Bell a role worthy of her gifts." [19] On Metacritic, the film had a weighted average score of 72 out of 100, based on reviews from 33 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [9]

Dennis Harvey of Variety magazine wrote, "This terrifically engaging debut feature by playwright Paul Downs Colaizzo is the best kind of "crowdpleaser": one that earns every emotional beat that might seem formulaic in four out of five similar enterprises." [3]

Accolades

Award [lower-alpha 1] Date of ceremony [lower-alpha 2] CategoryRecipient(s)ResultRef.
Casting Society of America January 30, 2020Studio or Independent – ComedyBrittany Runs a MarathonNominated [20]
GLAAD Media Award July 30, 2020 Outstanding Film – Limited Release Nominated [21]
Hollywood Critics Association January 9, 2020Best First FeatureNominated [22]
São Paulo International Film Festival October 30, 2019Best FilmNominated
Satellite Awards March 1, 2020 Best Television Film Nominated [23]
Sundance Film Festival January 24 - February 3, 2019 The Audience Award: U.S. DramaticWon [24]
[25]
Grand Jury PrizeNominated

Notes

  1. ↑ Awards, festivals and organizations are in Alphabetical order.
  2. ↑ Date is linked to the article about the awards held that year, wherever possible.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Bell</span> American actress (born 1979)

Lake Siegel Bell is an American actress, screenwriter, and director. She has appeared in various television series, including Boston Legal (2004–2006), Surface (2005–2006), How to Make It in America (2010–2011), Childrens Hospital (2008–2016), and Bless This Mess (2019–2020) and in films including Over Her Dead Body (2008), What Happens in Vegas (2008), It's Complicated (2009), No Strings Attached (2011), Million Dollar Arm (2014), No Escape (2015), Man Up (2015), The Secret Life of Pets (2016), Shot Caller (2017), Home Again (2017), The Secret Life of Pets 2 (2019), and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022).

Paul Downs Colaizzo is an American playwright, screenwriter and film director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Utkarsh Ambudkar</span> American actor and rapper (born 1983)

Utkarsh Ambudkar, also known by his stage name UTK the INC, is an American actor, rapper, and singer. He is known for his film roles including Pitch Perfect (2012), Game Over, Man! (2018), Blindspotting (2018), Brittany Runs a Marathon (2019), The Broken Hearts Gallery (2020), Free Guy (2021), Tick, Tick... Boom! (2021), and World's Best (2023). His television roles include The Mindy Project, White Famous, Never Have I Ever, and Ghosts. He recently appeared in the Hulu limited series The Dropout (2022).

<i>In a World...</i> 2013 comedy film by Lake Bell

In a World... is a 2013 American comedy film written, directed, starring, and co-produced by Lake Bell. The film stars Bell as a vocal coach who does voice-overs for film trailers. The film co-stars Demetri Martin, Fred Melamed, Rob Corddry, Michaela Watkins, Ken Marino, Nick Offerman, and Tig Notaro.

Jillian Leigh Bell is an American actress, comedian, and screenwriter. She was a writer for the 35th season of the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live between 2009 and 2010. Since her departure from SNL, she has had starring roles in the films Brittany Runs a Marathon (2019) and I'm Totally Fine (2022). She has also appeared on television, starring as Jillian Belk on Workaholics, voicing Violet Hart on Bless the Harts, and in a recurring role as Dixie on the final season of Eastbound & Down. Her other film credits include 22 Jump Street (2014), Fist Fight (2017), Godmothered (2020), and Candy Cane Lane (2023). As of June 2024, she is engaged to illustrator/musician Luke McGarry.

<i>Blindspotting</i> 2018 American comedy-drama film

Blindspotting is a 2018 American comedy-drama film written and produced by Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal. The film is directed by Carlos López Estrada, and Diggs and Casal star alongside Janina Gavankar, Jasmine Cephas Jones, Ethan Embry, Tisha Campbell-Martin, Utkarsh Ambudkar, and Wayne Knight. The plot follows a parolee with three days left on his sentence, only to have him witness a police shooting that threatens to ruin a lifelong friendship.

<i>Sword of Trust</i> 2019 film by Lynn Shelton

Sword of Trust is a 2019 American comedy film directed by Lynn Shelton from a screenplay by Shelton and Mike O'Brien. The cast features Marc Maron, Jon Bass, Michaela Watkins, Tim Paul, Whitmer Thomas, Toby Huss, Dan Bakkedahl and Jillian Bell. It is the final film directed by Shelton, who also portrays Deidre in the film, before she died in May 2020.

The 2019 Sundance Film Festival took place from January 24 to February 3, 2019. The first lineup of competition films was announced on November 28, 2018.

<i>Before You Know It</i> (2019 film) 2019 American drama film

Before You Know It is a 2019 American comedy film directed by Hannah Pearl Utt. It was co-written by, and stars, Utt and Jen Tullock. Judith Light, Mike Colter, Mandy Patinkin, and Alec Baldwin appear in supporting roles. It was screened in the U.S. Dramatic Competition section at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival.

<i>The Photograph</i> (2020 film) 2020 film directed by Stella Meghie

The Photograph is a 2020 American romantic drama film written and directed by Stella Meghie. It follows the estranged daughter of a famous photographer who falls in love with the journalist who is investigating her late mother's life. Chelsea Peretti, Lil Rel Howery and Courtney B. Vance also star.

<i>Bad Trip</i> (film) 2021 film directed by Kitao Sakurai

Bad Trip is a 2021 American hidden camera comedy film directed by Kitao Sakurai. The film follows two best friends who take a road trip from Florida to New York City so one of them can declare his love for his high school crush, all the while being chased by the other's criminal sister, whose car they have stolen for the trip.

<i>Fatherhood</i> (film) 2021 film by Paul Weitz

Fatherhood is a 2021 American comedy-drama film directed by Paul Weitz from a screenplay by Weitz and Dana Stevens based on the 2011 memoir Two Kisses for Maddy: A Memoir of Loss and Love by Matthew Logelin. The film stars Kevin Hart, Alfre Woodard, Frankie R. Faison, Lil Rel Howery, DeWanda Wise, Anthony Carrigan, Melody Hurd, and Paul Reiser, and follows a new father who struggles to raise his daughter after the sudden death of his wife.

<i>Godmothered</i> 2020 film by Sharon Maguire

Godmothered is a 2020 American fantasy comedy film directed by Sharon Maguire, written by Kari Granlund and Melissa Stack, and starring Jillian Bell and Isla Fisher. The Walt Disney Company first began developing the film in September 2019, with Maguire joining the production as director later that month. Principal photography began in January 2020 in Boston, Massachusetts. Produced by Walt Disney Pictures, The Montecito Picture Company and Secret Machine Entertainment, it was released on Disney+ on December 4, 2020. The film received mixed reviews from critics.

<i>The Broken Hearts Gallery</i> 2020 romantic comedy film

The Broken Hearts Gallery is a 2020 romantic comedy film written and directed by Natalie Krinsky, in her directorial debut. Executive produced by Selena Gomez, the film stars Geraldine Viswanathan, Dacre Montgomery, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Molly Gordon, Phillipa Soo and Bernadette Peters. The plot follows a 20-something in New York City who gets dumped by her latest boyfriend and creates an art gallery to display items from people's previous relationships. The film was theatrically released in the United States on September 11, 2020, to generally positive reviews from critics.

Home is a 2020 internationally co-produced drama film written and directed by Franka Potente, in her directorial debut. It stars Jake McLaughlin, Kathy Bates, Aisling Franciosi, Derek Richardson, James Jordan, Lil Rel Howery and Stephen Root.

<i>Am I OK?</i> 2022 film by Tig Notaro and Stephanie Allynne

Am I OK? is a 2022 American comedy drama film directed by Tig Notaro and Stephanie Allynne and written by Lauren Pomerantz. It stars Dakota Johnson, Sonoya Mizuno, Jermaine Fowler, Kiersey Clemons, Molly Gordon, Whitmer Thomas, Odessa A'zion, Sean Hayes, and Notaro. The film's screenplay is loosely based on screenwriter Pomerantz' personal life and her friendship with Jessica Elbaum, who also serves as producer.

<i>Bromates</i> (film) 2022 American film

Bromates is a 2022 American buddy comedy film directed by Court Crandall and starring Josh Brener and Lil Rel Howery. Snoop Dogg serves as an executive producer of the film.

<i>Reunion</i> (2024 film) 2024 American film

Reunion is a 2024 American comedy mystery film directed by Chris Nelson and starring Lil Rel Howery, Billy Magnussen, Jillian Bell, Jamie Chung, Michael Hitchcock, Nina Dobrev, and Chace Crawford. The film is set during the aftermath of a twenty-year high school reunion, when an obnoxious popular student is murdered and his former classmates are left to figure out who among them is responsible.

<i>We Grown Now</i> 2023 drama film by Minhal Baig

We Grown Now is a 2023 American drama film written, directed and co-produced by Minhal Baig. It stars Blake Cameron James, Gian Knight Ramirez, S. Epatha Merkerson, Avery Holliday, Ora Jones, Lil Rel Howery and Jurnee Smollett.

Karen Obilom is an American actress. She is known for portraying Nia Bullock in the BET television series Games People Play (2019-2021). She also appeared opposite Lil Rel Howery in the 2023 film The Mill (2023).

References

  1. 1 2 "Brittany Runs a Marathon (2019)". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved November 5, 2019.
  2. ↑ "Brittany Runs a Marathon (2019)". The Numbers . Retrieved November 6, 2019.
  3. 1 2 Harvey, Dennis (January 30, 2019). "Sundance Film Review: 'Brittany Runs a Marathon'". Variety.
  4. 1 2 Lang, Brent (August 14, 2019). "Why 'Brittany Runs a Marathon' Deserves to Be This Summer's Indie Breakout". Variety. he had never had a screenplay produced as a feature film, let alone directed a movie.
  5. ↑ Wally, Maxine (August 23, 2019). "'Brittany Runs a Marathon' Tells the Story of Us". WWD. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  6. 1 2 3 Thorp, Charles (August 21, 2019). "The Real Runner Behind 'Brittany Runs a Marathon'". Runner's World. Retrieved September 7, 2019.
  7. ↑ Holmes, Linda (August 22, 2019). "A Fun But Familiar Story Of Making Yourself Over In 'Brittany Runs A Marathon'". NPR.org.
  8. ↑ N'Duka, Amanda (November 22, 2017). "Jillian Bell To Star In 'Brittany Runs A Marathon'; Michaela Watkins, Utkarsh Ambudkar & Lil Rel Howery Also Cast". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved April 23, 2018.
  9. 1 2 "Brittany Runs a Marathon". Metacritic . Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  10. ↑ Neophytou, Nadia (June 6, 2019). "Will 'Brittany Runs a Marathon' Become Your Next Favorite Running Movie?". Runner's World.
  11. 1 2 3 Miller, Jen A. (September 1, 2019). "How Brittany Ran Her 'Marathon' With 50,000 Extras" . The New York Times .
  12. ↑ "Brittany Runs a Marathon". Production List. October 16, 2017. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
  13. ↑ Kaufman, Amy (August 23, 2019). "What 'Brittany Runs a Marathon' taught Jillian Bell about body image". Los Angeles Times .
  14. ↑ Debruge, Peter (November 28, 2018). "Sundance Film Festival Unveils 2019 Features Lineup". Variety . Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  15. ↑ "Brittany Runs a Marathon". Sundance Film Festival . Archived from the original on April 20, 2019. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
  16. ↑ Siegel, Tatiana (January 30, 2019). "Sundance: Amazon Buys 'Brittany Runs A Marathon' for $14 Million". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  17. ↑ Vlessing, Etan (April 24, 2019). "Amazon's 'Brittany Runs a Marathon' Gets Summer Release Date". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  18. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (August 25, 2019). "'Angel Has Fallen' Still Ascending Close To 'London' With $20M; Tarantino's 'Hollywood' Beating 'Basterds' – Saturday AM B.O." Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on 2019-08-22. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  19. ↑ "Brittany Runs a Marathon (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango . Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  20. ↑ "Artios Awards: 'Hustlers,' 'Knives Out,' 'Rocketman' Among Casting Society Film Nominees". The Hollywood Reporter. January 1, 2020. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  21. ↑ "GLAAD Media Awards: 'Booksmart,' 'Bombshell,' 'Rocketman' Among Nominees". The Hollywood Reporter. January 8, 2020. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  22. ↑ "The 3rd Annual Hollywood Critics Association Awards Nominations". Hollywood Critics Association . November 25, 2019. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  23. ↑ "Nominees for the 24th Annual Satellite Awards, celebrating achievements in Film, Television". FilmFestivals.com. December 3, 2019. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  24. ↑ "Sundance: 'Clemency' Wins Dramatic Grand Jury Prize". The Hollywood Reporter. February 2, 2019. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  25. ↑ "2019 Sundance Film Festival Awards Announced". Sundance Film Festival . February 3, 2019. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.