After a sad but funny meeting with her doctor–lose the weight of a Siberian Husky (55 pounds) or else– and an even sadder meeting at the local gym–125 dollars a month is all I have to say– she decides to go for a run. “One block,” she tells herself. One block is all it takes to have Brittany drenched in sweat. It’s also all it takes for her to join her new friends Katherine (Michaela Watkins), a jogging veteran, and fellow rookie Seth (Micah Stock) in marathon training. Block by block, brick by brick, laugh by laugh. She eventually reaches her goal at a tear-jerking finish line.
“…script gives Brittany lots of relatable obstacles…lots of answers on how to take down insecurities.”
The getting there isn’t always easy. Not for her or for us. Brittany’s childlike absurdities regress into annoyance; her need to zone everyone out repetitive. There’s a perfect guy (Utkarsh Ambudtkar) she ignores long enough for you to start rolling your eyes. While that does become problematic, the breakout director and actress lift this above your average comedy. That’s because Paul Downs Calazio isn’t your average director. The acclaimed playwright (Really Really) has an eye for what scares and delights this generation. Now more than ever, we care about our image, both in figure and on a social level. Calazio’s script gives Brittany lots of relatable obstacles while giving his audience lots of answers on how to take down insecurities.
The answer to this film, however, is Bell’s Brittany. Bell is as hilarious as ever. But she also emotes great empathy. Those smiles and tears are genuine. Fittingly, she’s given all of us going through the same thing what we have been looking for: a step in the right direction.
"…she's in the middle of World War 3: Brittany vs. her bathroom scale."
