A slightly different slant on the 'slacker' comedy genre directed by 'Friends' star David Schwimmer. Five years ago Dennis (Simon Pegg) was at the altar about to marry Libby (Thandie Newton), his pregnant fiancee. He got cold feet and headed for the hills, and he's been going in circles ever since.

When Dennis discovers Libby's now hooked up with high-flying go-getter Whit (Hank Azaria), he realizes it's now or never. Assisted by his friend Gordon (Dylan Moran), he decides to enter a marathon to show he's not a quitter but then finds out just how much sweat, strain and pain it takes to run for 26 miles. No one rates his chances, but Dennis knows this is the only way to stop being a running joke.

Run Fatboy Run follows hot on the heels of Hot Fuzz and again finds its star delivering a quality comedy turn, in a film that boasts a good few laughs too. Directed by Friends star David Schwimmer, Run Fatboy Run casts Pegg as a security guard fed up of being outrun by the people he's supposed to catch.

He's also determined to try and prove to his ex-fiancee (Thandie Newton) that he's a changed man, and thus decides to take on the London Marathon, where he'll be up against the new man in her life (Hank Azaria). Pegg is on good form in Run Fatboy Run, and genuinely delivers a character you want to root for. Yet it's the supporting players who walk off with the plaudits too.

Dylan Moran in particular is in great form, as is Harish Patel, while the likes of Thandie Newton, Hank Azaria, and David Walliams also turn in good work. Cleverly knowing not to outstay its welcome, and only occasionally stuttering under the weight of some labored work behind the camera from Schwimmer, Run Fatboy Run is an easy, quite funny, and light-on-the-brain comedy, that helps cement Pegg's growing status as a quality leading actor. Worth checking out. --Jon Foster