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Tuesday, April 23, 2024
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HOLLYWOOD HIT AND RUN
EDITOR'S PICK
`Hit
And Run` refreshing and ingenious romantic comedy
Rating: ****
One of the delights of life is to sometimes unexpectedly behold a little-known
gem that thrills you with its ingenuity. Usually one experiences this in an old
film. To find this in a film playing in the theatres now is sheer luck.
"Hit And Run" is one such film made by a passionate bunch of people,
which but for a relatively lesser known cast and bad luck of not having a better
studio patronising it, would have been the toast of the town.
Under witness-protection in small town America, Charlie (Dax Shepard) falls in
love with Annie (Kirsten Bell). When she gets a new job in Los Angeles, Charlie
decides to drop her off despite the possible dangers. Annie`s jealous ex-lover
not only follows them, but gets both his cop brother and Charlie`s arch-enemy
Alex (Bradley Cooper) on their tail.
What follows is a hilarious ride where a doctorate in non-violent conflict
resolution is paired with a former bank robber trying desperately to control
himself, a nutty ex-lover crossing path with an accident prone federal marshal
with a gay cop and his nerdy partner and a crazy gangster in hot pursuit through
rural America.
"Hit and Run" literally hits and runs over you with its ingenious and
delightful humour. Be warned though for you can`t expect the over the top,
outlandish comedy Hollywood is known for.
Instead you have a very refined comedy riding on some very sophisticated writing
and neatly conceptualised sequences and well thought out characters and their
idiosyncrasies.
Amongst all the good things about the film, the best are its writing and
romance. The writing of the romance is so real and observant of couple`s
mannerisms of debate and fights, that it is surprising to see it on screen. That
the lead pair of Dax and Kirsten are real life couples, perhaps helps the
believability of their love.
More than commerce, the film is a work of sheer passion where Dax Shepard not
only plays the lead but is also the writer, co-director, co-producer and
co-editor of the film. He and David Palmer, who have co-directed a forgettable
film before, refine their creative partnership in this.
The sophistication of the film might prove to be a drawback at the box office,
as viewers expecting a typical comedy might be surprised by it and not many
pleasantly so. However, those who enjoy a good sprinkling of intelligence in
their comedies will have a rocking time.
A perfect movie to go with your partner as it mixes and satiates the urges of
both parties involved - the need for romance and the urge for masculine cars and
thrilling action.
