There may not be any literal baton passing going on in the marathon-set screwball comedy Run, Fatboy, Run, but the movie, which was directed by Friends star David Schwimmer, is noteworthy for its hand-offs. The first has to do with the writing of the film, which began as an original screenplay by American actor/comedian/writer Michael Ian Black (Wet Hot American Summer) and was later reworked by British actor/comedian/writer Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead). Despite the screenplay credit confusingly indicating the two writers collaborated, it is more a matter of one taking over from the other and going the distance with it.

The second pass relates to the actors. Although Run, Fatboy, Run is sold as a Simon Pegg comedy, the true stand-out is lesser-known Dylan Moran, who supports as Pegg’s character’s best friend. Familiar to most Brits as the star of the Channel 4 series Black Books (which I keep meaning to finally rent), Moran has also appeared in minor roles in the movies Shaun of the Dead, Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story and Notting Hill, none of which really showcased his talent the way Run, Fatboy, Run does. Because it was probably not intentional for Moran to upstage Pegg, though, it has to be said that rather than a hand-off of the spotlight, this is more a stealing of the show. And boy does Moran make a great getaway towards the finish line.

I guess that’s enough running analogies for now, but I just wanted to point out straightaway that Run, Fatboy, Run is all the better for Pegg’s contribution to the script and Moran’s contribution to the ensemble, because most readers only pay attention to what’s in the lead (is that another marathon reference? I’m not sure). And unlike a number of other critics, I really like the movie, primarily for those contributions. Had I begun by concentrating on the conventional, predictable, overly familiar plot, I wouldn’t have been fair to my enjoyment of the movie. Anyway, it really doesn’t matter that it’s the same old David vs. Goliath, Tortoise vs. Hare, Underdog triumphs over Hunky Athlete sort of situation comedy. Or that it’s ultimately all about that sweet, sitcom-ish sentiment we’ve all grown so sick of. The only important thing is that Pegg is really funny and Moran is downright hilarious.

That fully addressed, it must also be noted that Thandie Newton is terribly miscast as Pegg’s character’s ex-fiancée, who he ditches at the altar, pregnant, at the opening of the film, only to make a second bid for her hand five years later when she’s about to marry another man. Of course, my judgment of Newton is partly based on the context of her film career of late, as she’s been playing overbearing wife roles (in Crash and The Pursuit of Happyness, specifically, I didn’t see Norbit), none of which seem all that fun. And it’s hard to believe Pegg would ever be with someone so uptight (certainly in this movie she was left at the altar, pregnant, and has every right to be a bitch). But maybe his character, “Dennis”, is still not actually that into “Libby” so much as he is into not allowing “Whit” (Hank Azaria) to have her and their son, “Jake” (right, and Cary Grant wasn’t really that into Katherine Hepburn, either).

Anyway, Newton aside, Run, Fatboy, Run is interesting for being such a classically American sort of comedy (without Pegg and Moran’s funny exchanges, it could easily work as a silent in the Harold Lloyd tradition) transplanted in London. Fans of Pegg’s more specifically British comedies, like Shaun of the Dead, may be disappointed in just how American it is, but as far as cultural hybrids go, it could be a lot worse. Plus, in reading the film’s relationships as symbolic (British boy steals British girl back from American boy), it’s apparent which side of the pond ultimately wins the honor of claiming this comedy its own. Then again, Moran is Irish …