Brittany Runs a Marathon is a dramedy written and directed by Paul Downs Colaizzo, starring Jillian Bell, Michaela Watkins, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Lil Rel Howery, and Micah Stock.

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The film follows a slightly overweight twenty-something woman, Brittany Forgler, in New York City who takes steps to lose weight and get healthy per her doctor’s suggestion and ultimately sets her sights on the annual New York City marathon.

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Going into this movie I was already excited just based on the trailers I’ve seen, not just because I’m a marathon runner but because I went through a similar life overhaul with one decision to get healthy. Brittany’s journey started with the decision to actually do something about her health then she took that first step – running a block.

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At first glance it appears Brittany is just another party girl who doesn’t quite want to grow up, but we soon realize there’s more to it after her doctor’s visit.

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Her story mirror’s a lot of what many people go through at one point or another. She had aspirations and later in the movie we find out what that is and kind of how she ended up in the rut that we find her in at the start of the movie.

There’s a parallel between Brittany’s training and the small changes she makes in her life throughout the movie. As she sees the results of her hard work paying off her self-worth and overall attitude changes, along with personal relationships both old and new.

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It wasn’t as funny as I was expecting but I thoroughly enjoyed the movie because it wasn’t just another movie about a woman/man losing weight and setting some lofty goal that she/he ultimately accomplishes. The movie touched on how in the age of social media where everyone’s constantly comparing themselves to others, that what we perceived from the outside may not be how things are in actuality. Everyone is struggling with something; it’s how you handle those tough times that matters.