This movie flew under my radar, but then I wasn't clued into to Dax Shepard either. "Hit and Run", written and staring Shepard as Charlie Bronson, delivers solid entertainment as is continues to build momentum. Charlie is in the witness protection program and has settled into a low-key pastoral life in the hinterlands. Completing his morphing into a decent regular guy is his girlfriend Annie, played by Dax's real life paramour the equally talented Kristen Bell. As part of his enrollment into witness protection Charlie is shadowed, and on a rare good day protected, by U.S. Marshall Randy Anderson as portrayed surprisingly effectively by Tom Arnold. Add Annie's ex Gil as well as Dax's revenge seeking accomplices Alex Dimitri (Bradley Cooper stretching his legs in this excellent supporting character role like you've never imagined him) and combination ex-fiancé crime partner Neve. From this "stew" of bent characters a nice little ensemble comes together in a blitz of low-key, but hilarious, dialogue to deliver a rare smart and entertaining comedy. To say I was surprised is an understatement since I had never heard of it prior to seeing it.
This is the set-up which evolves at a perfect pace into a chase movie with a heart (its a rom-com somewhere nested within) as Charlie gives up his protected life so Annie can move to Los Angeles and pursue her goal of post-grad teaching. Of course the brilliance lies in the surmounting of seemingly endless obstacles Charlie's past births along the road. The characters are uniformly excellent, even Tom Arnold delivers what is unquestionably his best role since True Lies. There are compact and nice cameos also by Beau Bridges and Jason Bateman which add some "pop" too. All around a great small-budget comedy that proves smart writing with the right cast can trounce many big-budget blockbusters. Well done and recommended, especially if you like cool cars, a crème de le crème soundtrack, and a decidedly silly love story with some meaty action as well.
This is the set-up which evolves at a perfect pace into a chase movie with a heart (its a rom-com somewhere nested within) as Charlie gives up his protected life so Annie can move to Los Angeles and pursue her goal of post-grad teaching. Of course the brilliance lies in the surmounting of seemingly endless obstacles Charlie's past births along the road. The characters are uniformly excellent, even Tom Arnold delivers what is unquestionably his best role since True Lies. There are compact and nice cameos also by Beau Bridges and Jason Bateman which add some "pop" too. All around a great small-budget comedy that proves smart writing with the right cast can trounce many big-budget blockbusters. Well done and recommended, especially if you like cool cars, a crème de le crème soundtrack, and a decidedly silly love story with some meaty action as well.