Tag: Michaela Watkins

YOU HURT MY FEELINGS (2023) – Review

Hey, who says we can’t enjoy a quirky NYC-based character comedy written and directed by one of our lauded indie directors? We’ve got the big fairy tale musical, the turbo-charged thriller, and the new MCU entry, so the blockbuster fanatics have their choices, but happily, there’s room for something a little quieter and more clever. It’s hard to believe we’ve not gotten a feature from this filmmaker in nearly five years. Welcome back! And bonus, it reunites her with the star of a terrific romantic comedy from ten years ago. Yes, there’s a romance at the center of this, but the title reveals it has a bit of a “darker edge” as the lead bemoans to her on-screen hubby, YOU HURT MY FEELINGS.


That “proclaimer” is Beth (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), who lives with her hubby Don (Tobias Menzies) in one of the Big Apple’s trendiest neighborhoods. He’s a therapist who works with both individuals and couples in a lush downtown office. His clients are loyal but pretty quirky. Beth is a published author who made a modest splash with her memoir a few years ago. She’s completing her first work of fiction, which Don really likes, though her agent doesn’t seem enthusiastic. In the meantime, she’s teaching a writing course to a small group of historically unaware students at the New School. Happily, it’s not far from where her only son works. Eliot (Owen Teague) is an aspiring playwright, but as he’s fresh out of college, he’s clerking at a cannabis dispensary (which worries Beth). Aside from the teaching gig, Beth spends some time with her younger sister Sarah (Michaela Watkins), either helping out with a charity clothing drive or visiting their prickly widowed mother Georgis (Jeannie Berlin). Sarah is an interior designer for the city’s ultra-rich and is living with frazzled, aspiring actor Mark (Arian Moayed). After a visit to Mom, the sisters decided to surprise their guys, who are clothes shopping at a fancy store. As they quietly sneak up on the unaware duo, they overhear the ongoing conversation as Don tells Mark that he really doesn’t think much of Beth’s new novel. The sisters rush out as Beth endures a panic attack, Sarah thinks she’s overreacting, but Beth sees it as a betrayal. Could this “artistic fib” lead to the end of their marriage, or can she even move past it?

We’ve been inviting her into our living rooms for so long via her amazing TV career, from SNL to “Veep”, that we almost forget the incredible range and performing skills of the wonderful Ms. Louis-Dreyfus. So, consider her complex Beth a big reminder. Her intelligence shines through in the scenes with her various family members and even her clueless students, We can see Beth straining to restrain an eye-roll or snarky comment. Then when she hears of her hubby’s lie, Louis-Dreyfus through her gestures and expressive eyes tells us that Beth has been stabbed in the heart as her soul seems to escape into the ozone. But then during a tense moment at her son’s job, the sublime physical comic actress makes the scene a true showstopper. Though he’s often her “straight man”, Menzies as Don tries to coast through the turbulent sessions of his clients, but is flummoxed by Beth’s new frigid demeanor, all the while considering a “nip and tuck” fearing he appears “tired” Watkins shines as the “kid” sister, who sometimes has to be the parent to the emotionally flailing Beth while holding in her frustrations in trying to please her obtuse wealthy bosses. And she’s got to be supportive of her neurotic actor beau, played by Moayed as a bottomless well of self-doubt and insecurities whose real joy is obsessing over fashion and fame. And Beth and Sarah are a strong emotional “tag-team” as they face off against their somewhat sweet, often surly unpredictable mother given bombastic life by Berlin. Kudos also to Teague, who wants to “break away’ from his folks, but still yearn for their help and support even though watching them share food makes him a bit ill. Oh, as for Don’s patients, Zach Cheery is a passive-aggressive wrecking ball as the near-lifeless Jim. But the movie’s MVPs may be the battling, bickering couple played by real-life marrieds, Amber Tamblyn and David Cross. Their sniping and scowling are the story’s highlights, as they lose patience with each other and silently observe Don. They harken back to the zanies on the Chaicago couch of Dr. Bob Hartley on TV, who might think the arguing was part of their foreplay. What a terrific team!

The aforementioned filmmaker is the gifted Nicole Holofcener, who was last part of the screenwriting team on the underappreciated THE LAST DUEL. Here she’s back in the director’s chair and providing the witty, sophisticated script. Making wonderful use of the Manhatten location, Holofcener eschews any flashy camera or editing flourishes, allowing her actors to scoop up these marvelous bits of dialogue and character quirks and run with it. Everyone gets their moment to shine and score with a look or a quick retort. The last time she worked with Louis-Dreyfus was the engaging ENOUGH SAID, which makes for part of a near-perfect set of cinema “book-ends”. Yes, the big deception at the heart of the story seems trivial, but Holofcener never mocks her characters and allows us to understand their flawed sensibilities. And at 96 minutes, these funny folk don’t overstay their welcome. Let’s just hope that Ms. Holofcener will welcome us back to her cinema world much sooner after gifting us the great YOU HURT MY FEELINGS.


4 Out of 4

YOU HURT MY FEELINGS is now playing in select theatres

WEREWOLVES WITHIN – Review

Since Summertime is the movie season for both horror flicks and rowdy comedies, how about a new addition to the growing genre subsection that’s best known as (duh) the horror-comedy? Of course, it’s changed quite a bit since Hollywood’s Golden Age in which a popular comic actor, or team, would scurry away (usually in “undercranked” fast motion) from a billowing sheet or, often, a crook in a rubber “fright mask”. As monster flicks have become more gruesome and graphic, the “comic takes” have followed suit with the comic heroes frequently covered in gore and viscera by the final fade-out. This week’s new release harkens back to the older days as it involves a “new take’ on one of the classic monsters. But, it’s also based on a fairly recent video game, one that tosses in another element: mystery. In the tradition of TEN LITTLE INDIANS, the viewer, along with the characters, must figure out which of them is “offing” the others. Imagine, you’re stuck in a spooky mansion, during a “dark and stormy night” when you discover the shocking fact that there are WEREWOLVES WITHIN! Get to the kitchen and scoop up that silver!

The setting is tiny Beaverville (really), Alaska (best guess) as things are beginning to pop in the sleepy burg. The weather service is warning folks of an approaching “mega-snowstorm” while the town is deeply divided over a proposed gas pipeline that would uproot many homes (but many are hoping to be “bought out”). Oh, and there’s a newly transferred park ranger arriving. Finn (Sam Richardson) checks into his new digs at the Beaverville Inn, meeting the accommodating owner Jeanine (Catherine Curtin) whose hubby is AWOL (gossip has it that he ran off to warmer climes with a waitress), brusk oil-company rep Sam (Wayne Duvall) and the fairly new (four months in) postal carrier Cecily (Milana Vayntrub). She takes him on her route where they encounter many of the locals. There’s ditzy craft-store owner Trisha (Michala Watkins) fawning over her tiny toy-like dog as her “touchy-feely” hubby Pete (Michael Chernus) tries to swoop in on Cecily. Across the way are big-city transplants, longtime married couple Joaquim (Harvey Guillen) and Devon (Cheyenne Jackson) Wolfson who run a new age spa. Further down is an auto repair shop run by “herb enthusiasts” Gwen (Sarah Burns) and Marcus (George Basil). Later, as they enter the wooded secluded outskirts Finn and Cecily run afoul of local unsociable “mountain man-hermit” Emerson (Glenn Fleshler). Finn’s peaceful first night at the inn is shattered when Trisha bursts through the lobby screaming that someone has grabbed her adored pooch “Cha-Cha”. Worse, while searching for the pet, Finn stumbles upon the eviscerated body of a prominent citizen. A research scientist staying there, Dr. Ellis (Rebecca Henderson) takes some fur samples, and after some testing concludes that the killer is a man/ wolf hybrid. Can werewolves be on the hunt? When the powerful storm takes out the town’s power, most of the villagers gather at the inn, believing it to be a “safe spot”. But as the killings continue, Finn tries to figure out who might be the shape-shifting lycanthrope lunatic before he becomes its next meal.

Richardson makes a goofy, but likable everyman hero as Finn, a slightly more capable riff on his best-known role Splett on HBO’s “Veep”. However, as the story progresses, Finn’s anxieties ‘amp up” making him distractingly manic, and a bit of a “motor-mouth”, spewing dialogue too rapidly to comprehend. It’s a compliment to his skills that we’re still rooting for Finn by the ferocious finale. And he’s got some nice, easy-going chemistry with Vayntrub whose Cecily is the snarky “cool girl’ of anyone’s dreams, delivering withering insults under her breath while taking no “guff’ from any of the leering locals. Most of the town citizens embody several social and cultural cliches, often “screeching” over each other’s lines and squelching any charm of the “old-fashioned” mystery elements. It’s a shame that so many terrific talents from other projects are so underused. Watkins is a true double threat, at ease with comedy (an SNL vet) and also adept at drama (Hulu’s “Casual” and as Ben Affleck’s sis in THE WAY BACK), but she has little to work with as her missing critter sends her into constant shrieking hysterics. Ditto for Guillen, so good as the vampire familiar Gullermo in the FX series “What We Do in the Shadows”, as Joaquin camps it up as he sneers at the “hayseeds” while waiting to be either a “red herring” or a “dead duck”. These two deserve a script as witty and sharp as their small-screen work.

But that’s certainly not the case. as director Josh Ruben films the cliche-filled script from Mishna Wolff (for real) based on the Ubisoft video game of 2016 with a leaden hand and little style. Gags are foreshadowed, while an overload of “jump scares’ pummels us into slumber. Ah, but we’re soon kept alert by the constant scenes of the many characters, crammed into the frame, and shouting over each other like a junior college improv group (“I heard Alaska…and mutilations…and…go”). Despite the caterwauling, none of the many comic “tope” stereotypes dominate or even capture our interests. My annoyance with them caused my mind to drift back to a much more enjoyable twist on the same premise, 1974’s THE BEAST MUST DIE, which has a “low-rent” almost “grindhouse charm, though I doubt it’s 30-second “Werewolf Break” (to figure out the killer) would help this clucnky mess of a movie. And if you’re looking for some nifty tranformations or monster make-ups, well rent those early 80’s classics. The final “reveal” looks like something you’d pick up at one of those Halloween “pop-up” stores that occupy empty retails spaces in the Fall. Yes, there are WEREWOLVES WITHIN, but there’s also very little wit or whimsy. More of a dog than a wolf.

1.5 Out of 4

WEREWOLVES WITHIN opens in select theatres on Friday, June 25, 2021.

Check Out the Trailer for the Hilarious Horror-Comedy WEREWOLVES WITHIN – In Theaters June 25th

IFC Films will release the hilarious horror-comedy whodunit WEREWOLVES WITHIN in theaters on June 25, 2021 and on Digital Rental & VOD on July 2, 2021. Here’s the trailer:

WEREWOLVES WITHIN is based on a Ubisoft, VR video game of the same name. The film is directed by Josh Ruben (SCARE ME), and penned by screenwriter and bestselling author, Mishna Wolff (I’M DOWN).

WEREWOLVES WITHIN includes an ensemble cast of comedy notables including Sam Richardson (VEEP, DETROITERS), Milana Vayntrub (THIS IS US), George Basil (CRASHING), Sarah Burns (BARRY), Michael Chernus (TOMMY/CBS), Catherine Curtin (ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK), Wayne Duvall (THE HUNT), Harvey Guillén (WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS), Rebecca Henderson (RUSSIAN DOLL), Cheyenne Jackson (30 ROCK), Michaela Watkins (BRITTANY RUNS A MARATHON), and Glenn Fleshler (TRUE DETECTIVE). 

After a proposed pipeline creates divisions within the small town of Beaverfield, and a snowstorm traps its residents together inside the local inn, newly arrived forest ranger FINN (Sam Richardson) and postal worker CECILY (Milana Vayntrub) must try to keep the peace and uncover the truth behind a mysterious creature that has begun terrorizing the community.

Here’s the Teaser Trailer for WEREWOLVES WITHIN – A “Whodunnit with Teeth” Opening In Theaters June 25th

A “Whodunnit with Teeth”, WEREWOLVES WITHIN by Josh Ruben starring Sam Richardson, Milana Vayntrub, Harvey Guillén, Cheyenne Jackson, Michaela Watkins will be in Theaters June 25th and VOD/Digital July 2nd. Here’s the teaser trailer:

WEREWOLVES WITHIN stars Sam Richardson, Milana Vayntrub, George Basil, Sarah Burns, Michael Chernus, Catherine Curtain, Wayne Duvall, Harvey Guillén, Rebecca Henderson, Cheyenne Jackson, Michaela Watkins, and Glenn Fleshler

After a proposed pipeline creates divisions within the small town of Beaverfield, and a snowstorm traps its residents together inside the local inn, newly arrived forest ranger FINN (Sam Richardson) and postal worker CECILY (Milana Vayntrub) must try to keep the peace and uncover the truth behind a mysterious creature that has begun terrorizing the community.

DIRECTOR JOSH RUBEN’S’ STATEMENT

“I grew up near the same small town where we shot Werewolves Within. As a kid, I’d freak myself out, making up monster stories, running through the woods, pretending I was Chief Brody, fighting creatures in the brush (I LOVED Jaws — hell, I loved horror). That hometown experience, where neighbors knew your business (whether you liked it or not) is so much of what makes Werewolves so personal. But, as much as I love horror movies, nothing scares me more than people. And as much as this movie is an homage to my love for Hot Fuzz, the Coen Brothers, and Arachnophobia, it’s also about the monster in all of us.This movie is a tribute to those of us who are resolute that good conquers evil, and that “being good” is the best weapon we’ve got, against guns, knives, even claws… Sometimes, you just gotta be a good neighbor, no matter how wicked people are.”

THE WAY BACK (2020) – Review

Maybe that Shakespeare guy was on to something. That line about “All the world’s a stage” in particular. Then everyone’s life or “story” could be that a play, or a piece of theatre. This may account for the popular phrase about folks in the news when they burn brightly in the limelight of fame, then the glow around them dims, often amping back up as pundits relate the story of someone’s “second act”. But that might apply to most everyday people if they’re fortunate. And what if we’re not limited to two acts, but a never-ending series of such life changes? That’s the main theme of the new drama hitting the multiplexes, and it might very well pertain to its lead. The setting is the world of amateur sports and that one guy who’s far beyond his “golden days” as a “phenom”. His life’s now on the skids, and, out of the blue, his old passion provides a lifeline as the waters of depression and rage that engulf him. The question for him is whether this revisiting of his youth will show him THE WAY BACK.

The man in question is Jack Cunningham (Ben Affleck), a burly 40-something construction worker who’s drifting through life in a fog of booze and regrets. Separated from his wife Angela (Janina Gavankar), he spends his days on the “worksite” slurping “spiked” coffee, and his nights getting “blackout ” drunk in a seedy neighborhood “watering hole” or in his squalid walk-up apartment. Thanksgiving with the family provides little relief as his sister Beth (Michaela Watkins) chides him for his drinking, and his stagnant lifestyle (not returning calls from his soon-to-be-ex). Then one message on his voicemail stuns Jack. It’s the priest who ran the high school where Jack played basketball (twenty-five years ago he was the local star athlete). He cleans himself up and goes down to Bishop Hayes to meet his old “padre”. Seems that they need a new basketball coach since a heart attack has put the current one on the “bench”. After much soul searching (over a case of beer), Jack decides to give it a try. He meets with assistant coach Dan (Al Madrigal), who has too much on his “plate” at home to take over the position. The “ragtag” squad has few members and lacks height and a real dedication to the sport, with far too many “showboats” with little skill. But Jack sees the raw talent that he can mold and shape. He’s a tough taskmaster, but come game time an inner fire ignites the old passion. More importantly, the new after-hours gig seems to keep him sober. His efforts begin to lessen the point gap at games, with the team on a “roll”. Ah but Angela and their tragic past catch up to him. Will that old “darkness” derail this new chance at life? Or will the respect of his “boys” pull him back from the depths of despair?

The film works due to the compelling performance of Affleck, who is on screen for nearly all of its nearly two-hour running time. He seems to have found a way to channel his very public struggles (his tabloid exploits were getting more attention than his films for a time) into one of his best screen roles in years. Jack is a self-medicating bear of a man, trying to hide away from anyone, his family, his wife, who enters his “cave”. Through Affleck’s sunken dark eyes we see that Jack has truly “disconnected”, even lashing out at all who would try and throw him a rescue rope. But we see how the game pulls him back in. With his body language, from lumbering and “hunched-over” to head held high as he strides on the court, Affleck conveys the new sense of purpose that has jolted Jack back to life. He also begins to engage with others, becoming a passionate mentor (complete with colorful language) to the young men in his charge. This builds into a most heart-wrenching, but honest climax. It’s a career-high for this talented artist (hopefully we’ll see another directing effort soon). He gets surprisingly strong support from two actors with roots in TV comedy. Perhaps best known for his stint as a “Daily Show” reporter (along with stand-up comedy), Madrigal takes what could be a one-note goofy side-kick, the nerd who wants to be a jock, and infuses him with a real confident spirit, looking up to Jack but not letting him s”slide by” on his gifts, always doing the “right thing”. A single season on SNL was the springboard to a busy career for Watkins, shifting from TV comedies (superb work on Hulu’s “Casual”) to “indie” comedies like last year’s BRITTANY RUNS A MARATHON and SWORD OF TRUST. Now she shows us her dramatic “chops” in a great turn as Jack’s unfiltered, no “B.S.” sister who adores him, but who also won’t give him a “pass”, her haunted eyes hinting at the years of worry and betrayal. the same could be said of Gavankar as estranged wife Angela who shares Jack’s trauma but pushes aside her pain to try and help the man she once adored. There’s also some impressive work from several young actors as the players, including Da’Vinchi as the reserved but gifted Devon, Melvin Gregg as the arrogant Marcus who gets a much needed “humbling”, and Will Ropp as the very funny, motor-mouthed “playa'” Kenny.

Director Gavin O’Connor has crafted a character study set in the sports world that avoids the usual cliches of the sports flick genre. The script he co-wrote with Brad Ingelsby has its greatest emotional heft off the court and away from the locker run. A montage of each game conveys all that’s needed with a fast freeze-frame relaying the final score before moving on (though they start to win, Jack doesn’t seem much happier than the defeats). Ther’s no uplifting, bombastic music score during the final game seconds, but rather the lone, subtle piano tinkling from Rob Simonsen’s sparse soundtrack. That section of the script, the “team-building” sequences are the only time when the solid script loses a bit of its focus. That’s when Jack appears to have gone “cold turkey” (Dan does chide him for some “empties” he saw in his office), but with little of the realistic consequences. Sure, we don’t need a repeat of Ray Milland’s “DT” hysterics from THE LOST WEEKEND, but Jack would be showing more of the “detox’ effects, considering we see him “killing a case” during the course of one evening. Luckily the story gets back on track for the last act as life delivers a cruel reminder to Jack, one that the game can’t erase. That’s when he must decide to “save himself” as the usual final game “fade-out’ is replaced by a quiet promise of hope and redemption. And kudos for the honest depiction of the dismal “bar life’. In recent years, TV has somewhat romanticized the corner pub as a frequent sitcom setting from “Cheers” to “How I Met Your Mother” making them cozy, well-lit backdrops for witty banter and lovable eccentrics. This film’s “dive”, Harold’s Place, is a dark, dank den of misery, with regulars staggering out to do damage in the dawn’s new light. Not quite Hell, but not much like the clean bright “watering holes” we usually see. THE WAY BACK is a gripping drama that takes some offbeat chances, ones that pay off thanks to the great cast lead by a re-invigorated Affleck.

3 out of 4

BRITTANY RUNS A MARATHON – Review

We may be almost past swimsuit season (at least in the northern half of the US), but it’s never too late to get moving and get healthy. And though those New Year’s resolutions are several months away, that goal’s on the mind of this new movie’s title heroine (who just happens to be based on a real person…but don’t let that deter you). Another big motivator is the big event in the title. And yes, the flick covers all the dieting, training, and various ‘prep’ work, but it’s really about so much more. As the ads promise this story is very funny at times, propelled by the talents of a most captivating comedy actress, but there’s more to this than pratfalls and slapstick. This is a story of a woman who wants to do more than win the race or even just cross the finish line. She needs to get moving in order to move her life forward, to bust out of a life-stalling rut. That’s the main reason why BRITTANY RUNS A MARATHON.


But when we first meet Brittany (Jillian Bell) she and her life are at a standstill. She barely makes her rent as a ticket taker/assistant manager at an off, way off-Broadway theatre. Luckily she shares a grungy, funky little walk-up apartment with aspiring “social media influencer” Gretchen (Alice Lee). Brittany spends too many nights with Gretchen and her pals boozing at bars and clubs, waking the next day with a killing hangover and a numbing shame over degrading anonymous “hook-ups”. But she has a “wake up call” via her latest physical. Doc Falloway (Patch Darragh), much to Brit’s humiliation, bluntly tells her that she’s dangerously overweight and out of shape. After deciding against joining a gym (“Starting at $129 a month?! Starting?!!”), she decides to begin jogging. When she retreats to her apartment after a humiliating first run, her whimpers get the attention of annoying upstairs neighbor “Moneybags Martha” AKA Catherine (Michaela Watkins). After some needed, though unwanted, encouragement, she convinces Britany to join her morning “runners’ club”. There she befriends another struggling jogger, married dad Seth (Micah Stock). Eventually the trio bond, and after a few short races, decides to try for the big New York City marathon the next November. But there are fees involved, so Brittany grabs a second job as a “dog-sitter” during the day for a rich couple enjoying a long vacation. Perfect, until the “night-sitter”, a fast-talking hustler named (really) Jern (Utkarsh Ambudkar) decides to move in, 24-7. But Brittany is determined to make the race while fighting her attraction to him. But can she stay “on track” and keep her eyes on the goal (that finish line) when life tosses countless hurdles and obstacles in her path? She’s gotta’ keep moving forward.

This true tale provides the near-perfect showcase for the considerable talents of Ms. Bell. In the last few years she’s easily stolen scenes (sometimes the entire flick) in 22 JUMP STREET, THE NIGHT BEFORE, and ROUGH NIGHT (as a zany “party girl” with a nice dramatic “backstory”). Here she ably carries the film, turning what could have been another “one-note” klutzy “cut-up’ into one of this year’s most complex characters. Brittany’s no comic cliche’. Sure she’s quite funny (I’m thinking her pre-show chatter at her theatre gig is much better than the play), but we soon see her ‘dark side’ in the club sequence that switches gears from hilarity to true sadness. Yes, we’re quickly “rooting” for her, but Bell is constantly catching us “off guard”. We see the disgust in her eyes as she glances at a mirror while reaching for a “munchkin”. Then her self-loathing will strike out at others who try to help. Minutes later Bell will show us the “softer” side of Britt as she begins to thaw and flirts with Jern (oh, that pesky stiff neck). The character’s “downward spiral” crashes to a sickening thud as Brit pummels a party guest with cruel verbal stiletto-like jabs (all while Bell gives her a dead-eyed stare). Bell is endearing and frustrating as she often sabotages several attempts at emotional intimacy. Britt isn’t just a female version of the “frat-boy man-child” who suddenly straightens up (and grows up). There are real consequences to her actions. Bravo to Bell for bucking the notion that a film’s heroine must be pleasant and “nice” at all times. And kudos to her amazing range in this, the first of many, lead role.

Ah, but she’s not the “whole show’ (or I should say “race”). Watkins makes an excellent screen sparing partner, giving us a woman who seems to have it “all”, but is battling demons of the past and present. She’s a powerful positive force in Britt’s corner as is Stock whose Seth could easily have been that “rom-com” cliche ultra-supportive gay pal of the heroine. Yes, he’s there for her, but he endures the pain for his husband and son (with maybe another child if he stays healthy). Ambudkar is a comedic whirlwind as Jern, who he plays with just the right amounts of snark and endearing “boyishness” (love his defense of TV cartoons). He’s exasperating and charming (often at the same time). Lee as roommate Gretchen has a couple of terrific ‘throw-downs’ with Bell when she goes from encouraging to threatened by Britt’s goals (she thinks it’s really a mean dig at her). And speaking of “scene stealers”, the man who purloined GET OUT, Lil Rel Howery shines again as Britt’s brother-in-law (who’s more of a surrogate daddy) offering encouragement from Brit’s hometown of Philly via Skype calls (and later in-person). Oh, and hats off to current SNL cast member Mikey Day for his very funny cameo as the gym salesman.

This is quite an impressive screen debut from director/writer Paul Downs Colaizzo who finds the correct balance of comedy and pathos. His script doesn’t feel “jokey”, as it never hits a false note. He truly makes Brittany an “everywoman”, a character that most women, and men, can identify (or at least see in a friend or relative). Colaizzo finds a most clever way to visualize modern electronics, even using a split-screen to show Britt’s reaction to a downloaded image. This works particularly well as Jern helps her fill out an online form on a dating site (nice, clean animated graphics). He makes some good visuals choice as Brit imagines being in that big race using one solid color around her. Certainly, there are clever discussions of body image and shaming, but it’s equally sharp about the emotional issues. Brittany needs to get healthy in her psyche, too. She has to run towards, and not away from, adulthood, committing and following through on a “life plan”. these goals, rather than the medal, are what make BRITTANY RUNS A MARATHON a truly compelling journey that truly “goes the distance”, along with the wonderful work of Ms. Bell.

3.5 Out of 4

BRITTANY RUNS A MARATHON opens everywhere and screens exclusively in the St Louis area at Landmark’s Tivoli Theatre and the Hi-Pointe Theatre