CD Review
Various Artists
Album Title:  Run Fat Boy Run
Label:  Universal Music Canada
Released:  March 18 2008 

3 Stars

Reviewed By: Todd Andre (Calgary Correspondent - Canada) 

Run Fatboy Run is for joggers.  You know, the coughing wheezing type that likes their runs hard and their pop music 'lite.'  You might even call them the David Schwimmer's of the jogging universe, the polite, popular and inoffensive neighbor who has reached his fourties and is running to save his marriage.  A little generic don't you think?  Kinda like margarine with Omega 3.  Well, this is the soundtrack to a generic romantic comedy.  There are very few surprises in either.   It's a British film, so the album consists largely of crowd pleasing Brit-pop, reggae and pop-punk spliced-in alongside snippets of Simon Pegg's somewhat snarky dialogue (he dulls his edge a bit for this one).  

Pegg's dialogue tracks range from funny soundbites to heartwarming dramatical excerpts from the film.  "You Can't Run Away" is a good example of the commercial moralism Schwimmer has pushed into the film and sountrack.  The track documents the moment in the film where Pegg's character offers heartwarming fatherly advice to his son, only to have his son shockingly turn that good advice back onto him.  Tears came to my eyes as I realized all the opportunities I missed over the years to throw my Dad's sensible advice back into his face.  Other clips lighten the heavying effect of "You Can't Run Away" by offering us tight, unforgettable one-liners like: "I'm not fat, I'm just not fit." 

The soundtrack cleverly reflects the film's themes in its length.  It is cut at a chubby 26 tracks, which for most films would be excessive, but not in the case of a film that strives to poke fun at obesity.  Each track promises to either raise you up to cracking heights as The Rumble Strips do in their foot stomper opener "Girls and Boys in Love," or to drag you down to digestible emotional not-too-lows with its reflective punk-pop ballads like Teenage Fanclub's "The Concept."  The music director has sprinkled in the likes of Brit legend David Bowie and legend-in-the-making Amy Winehouse to keep the soundtrack familiar enought to sing to.  But in the end, the circus-like narrative of the film is complemented by the circus-style music that litters the soundtrack, most noticeably on The Fratelli's "Chelsea Dagger," on which The Fratelli's successfully mimic the background music of slapstick cartoons with their gritty voices.  There is hope for haters on this soundtrack, though, as the electronically enhanced "Everyday I Love You Less and Less" by the Kaiser Chefs will spurn anyone to the carthetic demonization of their irritating exes. 

Not that there is anything wrong with listening to fun, poppy and inoffensive licks; it's jolly good fun for the whole family. But if you're looking for a soundtrack that breaks talented emerging artists -- as soundtracks like Michael Franti's Weeds has done -- then this is not for you.  The one hour runtime, the bouncy beats and the pop inspired guitar crunches make it the perfect 'lite' breakfast-on-the-go for the plump morning jogger. 
 

1. Girls And Boys In Love - The Rumble Strips
2. Dialogue Clip: I'm not fat, I'm just unfit - Dennis - Simon Pegg
3. Radio Song - Dirty Pretty Things
4. Queen Bitch - David Bowie
5. Dialogue Clip: Tree Frog - Dennis & Jake - Simon Pegg, Matthew Fenton
6. Score: Piano Song - Alex Wurman
7. Something Kinda Ooooh - Girls Aloud
8. Dialogue Clip: Preparation - Dennis & Gordon - Simon Pegg,Dylan Moran
9. Chelsea Dagger - The Fratellis
10. Dialogue clip: Motivation - Dennis, Gordon and Mr. Goshdashtidar - Simon Pegg, Dylan Moran, Harish Patel
11. 54-46 Was My Number - Toots & The Maytals
12. Story Problem - The Envy Corps
13. The Concept - Teenage Fanclub
14. Dialogue clip: Dead Meerkat - Dennis & Gordon - Simon Pegg, Dylan Moran
15. Everyday I Love You Less and Less - Kaiser Chiefs
16. Score: It's This Place - Alex Wurman
17. I Like That - Air Traffic
18. The Magic Position - Patrick Wolf
19. Score: Alone In The Apartment - Alex Wurman
20. Better - Tom Baxter
21. Beach Samba - Astrud Gilberto
22. Dialogue clip: You Can't Run Away - Dennis & Jake - Simon Pegg, Matthew Fenton
23. Monkey Man - Amy Winehouse
24. Keep On Running - Goldspot
25. Score: Going on Holiday - Alex Wurman
26. Nice Work If You Can Get It - Bing Crosby, Buddy Bregman