Dang. That was a good time. I had such low expectations. The trailer was boring in spite of the fact that it features an actress I enjoy. I wasn't seeing advertising for it when I saw it in theatres so i skipped it. Now however it's getting featured status so I figured I'd give it a shot. I was bloody impressed. I thought it would be a cheesy film about a girl losing weight by doing a marathon. But I like everyone so much. Brittany was so heartfelt.

This is the second movie based on a real person I've seen this year (Blinded by the Light) and both times I'm not sure I knew it was based on a real person. They both managed to impress me. It's just a lovely thing both movies. I also liked the supporting cast. They really filled out the world and her relationships even though as a character Brittany tends to shut people out I really kept rooting for her to eventually let them in. Even Catherine who is an on and off character managed to endear herself. There's heartache and heartbreak as a viewer watching Brittany go through her ups and downs. Highly recommend everyone check this out if you can.

While ‘Brittany Runs a Marathon’ is about weight loss, it never feels pandering or forced. Instead, it comes across as extremely realistic and grounded, which allows the comedy to flow. Everyone across the board brings their A-game to bring this really fresh and heartwarming comedy to life. If you’re a fan of films like ‘Trainwreck’ or ‘The Big Sick’, put on your joggers and sweatpants to run out and see this one.
- Chris dos Santos

Read Chris' full article...
https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/article/review-brittany-runs-a-marathon-literally-run-out-to-see-this-stellar-comedy

Head to https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/sff for more Sydney Film Festival reviews.

* I was hoping this would be a running movie, but turned out to be more of a personal journey that features running as a vehicle. It’s pretty standard and formulaic _“getting thin and then everything changing for the better”_ Hollywood movie, the kind of film in which overweight people don’t even wash and brush their hair. By the way, the fat suit in the beginning was so cheap and very obviously a fat suit.

* The plot has been done before and will be done again. It’s not terrible by any means but there isn’t much else remarkable about the movie. _Brittany Runs a Marathon_ is very real though, for example, once the main character starts running, she becomes really annoying about it. The only thing more boring than listening to your coworkers talk about running a marathon would be a movie about somebody who is running a marathon.

* I guess I was supposed to root for Brittany, but I didn't understand why the writers decided to make her so mean, rude, unlikable, cringe-worthy and unsympathetic. The movie gave her free roam to be terrible to every single person in her life with limited consequences. Brittany is a 14 year old trapped in the body of a 28 year old, she blames her life outcomes and actions on other people, when there is no one to blame but herself. She was not even offensive, just blatantly absurd and a horrible person. She clearly needed more than to lose weight. And at the end I didn’t feel she was redeemed (nothing about her was redeemable), maybe that was the point and I missed it but she was very unpleasant. I couldn't relate to her journey at all.

* No real climax. The “twist” was she hurt her leg so she had to go to next year’s marathon instead. I didn't feel any emotion about it and just waited to see how long it would take for her to overcome it and the obvious ending to play out.

Brittany gets it right - that feeling you have in the pit of your stomach when you push away everyone who cares about you. A feeling I've had for a long long time. So self destructive.

A 5-star movie, reflecting the reality of life, wouldn't have a happy ending. This movie has one. But the first 60 minutes absolutely nails it.