Sweating the small stuff

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This article was published 07/09/2019 (2236 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Brittany (Jillian Bell) is a 28-year-old woman living her best life in New York City. She likes dogs, drinking, eating and sleeping. She works nights as a theatre usher and loves to make people laugh.

She is a fun person to be around and appears to live a normal life for a 20-something New Yorker. There’s just one thing wrong: Brittany is fat.

One day, she heads to a doctor to get some Adderall in order to supplement her partying. The effect of Adderall on a person who doesn’t have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is similar to cocaine.

Dr. Falloway (Patch Darragh) assures Brittany she doesn’t have ADHD and, despite not doing any tests, insists all her problems stem from her weight.

Brittany is annoyed by this, but through a series of events, including watching her seemingly perfect neighbour Catherine (Michaela Watkins) jog every morning and witnessing her own warped reflection in the mirror of a pretzel stand, she becomes inspired to change her life.

And, as we’ve learned from every movie featuring an overweight character ever, the only way for a fat person to change his or her life is to lose weight.

So Brittany begins by setting small yet attainable goals. She jogs around the block and eventually works her way up to a mile. She joins a running group. She makes new friends. Her body changes. She runs more miles. Her personality changes. She runs a 5K. She preps for the marathon.

And, as planned, her life changes. People are nice to her. Really good-looking men ask her out. All sorts of opportunities begin to present themselves to New Thin Brittany, and all is right in the world.

If Brittany Runs a Marathon had ended here, it would be an infuriating story of anti-fatness and how becoming thin will permanently change your life for the better; thankfully, the film goes one step further.

Yes, Brittany starts to dress better. Yes, she dates increasingly attractive people, and yes, she gains access to spaces and respect from others normally reserved for thin bodies, but Brittany also loses many of her old friends. She becomes more critical and judgmental of the habits and bodies of others. She ignores her hobbies and passions in order to keep running.

In short, she gets addicted. Brittany trades her addiction to food for an addiction to running, which ultimately leads to a stress fracture. When she can no longer run, Brittany has to re-redefine her life, this time based on factors beyond her weight.

There’s no true antagonist in Brittany Runs a Marathon — the men who use her for their own pleasure, her thin best friend who takes her for granted and her fit neighbour are all people exactly like Brittany and exactly like many of us whose perspectives have been warped by decades of unhealthy depictions of what is beautiful and centuries of patriarchal control being exerted over women’s bodies.

The real antagonists are the standards themselves.

Bell is wonderful as Brittany, who has to come to terms with the fact her actions have consequences. Primarily known for her deadly comedic timing and for playing supporting roles, Bell proves here she can deftly handle drama, rising and excelling in the position of a leading lady. Writer-director Paul Downs Colaizzo’s script is nuanced, sharp and surprisingly relatable for a film written by a man but about a female protagonist.

There’s an enormous divide between what life feels like as a fat person versus as a thin person that Brittany Runs a Marathon depicts in heartbreaking truthfulness. If you’ve ever been on a similar journey to Brittany, you’ll likely find the film immensely affirming.

If you haven’t experienced something similar, this film will surely give you some eye-opening insight while making you laugh at the same time.

frances.koncan@winnipegfreepress.com

Twitter: @franceskoncan