Finding a goal to run towards is a race everyone must endure and is the premise behind the 2007 romantic comedy, "Run, Fat Boy, Run."

Simon Pegg plays Dennis Doyle, a security guard at a women's clothes store who has run away from every difficult decision and challenge in his life, including leaving his pregnant bride, Libby (Thandie Newton), at the altar five years ago. When Dennis visits her at work to talk, Libby points out that he can't even finish a sentence. But Dennis isn't a complete waste, he is a good dad to their son, Jake (Matthew Fenton), and his heart is in the right place.

Now, he is trying to win her back and reunite his family. However, while picking up his son one day, he discovers Libby is dating an American, Whit (Hank Azaria), who is the antithesis of Dennis ? disciplined, hard working and successful. Whit even runs marathons for charity. In a fit of jealousy, Dennis proclaims that he will run in one of his marathons, thinking that if he finishes the race he will finally prove to Libby that he has changed.

However, the potbelly Brit is in no shape to run to the end of the street, let alone a 26.2-mile marathon. It is now up to his best friend, Gordon (Dylan Moran), to train him. Of course, the eccentric Gordon bet everything he had and more on Dennis finishing the race, so he had better get his friend into shape or he might not see tomorrow.

For all its cliches and shortcomings, the directorial debut of David Schwimmer is funny with moments of sincerity that really connect. Pegg's scenes with Azaria are comedy gems, as they play off of each other in perfectly relatable moments; except maybe when they're in the locker room and Whit stands utterly naked, powdering his privates in front of Dennis, who tries his best to avoid the sight and keep the conversation going as if nothing about the situation were strange. And that is what this film is, above anything else, relatable, an attribute that has a lot to do with Pegg's ability to garner an audience's sympathy as a flawed leading man.