Hit and Run

The surprise comedy hit of the summer, Hit and Run is a refreshing film which is fueled by my low expectations, but kept afloat by the witty dialogue, great supporting cast, and the fun car chases.

Dax Shepard wrote, directed, and starred in this light and manly romantic comedy, and he more than holds his own as Charlie Bronson, a getaway driver in the Witness Protection program. Kristen Bell is his girlfriend, Annie, who needs to go to Los Angeles for an interview of a lifetime. He decides her love is worth the risk, and off they go.

The story is simplistic, but it's the constant barrage of supporting characters who introduce themselves that makes the film move at a quick pace, and never lose steam. Tom Arnold plays the Witness Protection chaperone, and he's a bumbling ball of stress who can't handle his own gun much less supervision. Bronson treats him like a little brother, patiently taking care of him while completely disregarding his directions. David Koechner is a truck stop redneck with about three minutes of screen time, but does his best ham since The Goods. Michael Rosenbaum delivers strong comedy as Annie's ex-boyfriend, who is trying so hard to get her back, but is just such a wimp that nobody takes him seriously. Kristen Chenoweth probably has the best lines, as Annie's dirty-talking boss who sends her on her way to the LA interview. Jess Rowland plays an openly gay police officer and although the gay jokes are rattled off a bit too thick, he's very funny. Finally, Bradley Cooper makes what I would call an extended cameo as Bronson's former partner in crime. It's not what I would consider to be his typical character, but he owns it. Additional uncredited cameos by Jason Bateman and Greg Germann are timely and efficient as well.

The ensemble is amazing, and best of all, Dax Shepard shows he's no lightweight. He's been a regular on Parenthood for the past few years, and honestly is one of the more annoying characters. He really hasn't shown much potential beyond a smooth-talking goofball since he began working in Hollywood, but Hit and Run is a step up in his maturity. He creates characters and dialogue that stick and doesn't overdo any aspect of the film.

Kristen Bell shows a bit of her personality, but it seems that this is really a more natural role than anything else she's done. She looks like she's having fun riding shotgun, doing 90, kicking dust up everywhere as tires spin, Dukes of Hazzard style. She's a very funny (and hot) actress who is climbing in both notoriety and reputation. Don't be surprised if she makes some major comedic waves in the coming years, much like Mila Kunis.

There are a few jokes that go just far enough, but not excessively. The prison rape conversation and the geriatric orgy scenes gets things a little uncomfortable, but that can be overlooked. It isn't as dirty as I was expecting it to be aside from those two scenes, and I just feel that each scene was optimized by the characters in it.

The other side of the film is the action. Dax uses his love of cars to create some great chase scenes in some beautiful American cars with a lot of muscle. Dax admits that this film is his version of Smokey and the Bandit and really just wanted to make a fun movie with his friends (he's dating Bell and is best friends with Cooper). Well done, Dax.

If you're looking for something light and fun, look no further. This is a surefire hit, and was much better than I had expected. I look forward to the return of Tom Arnold! Okay, maybe that won't happen, but this movie is fun. 9/10.