Movie Review

Brittany Runs a Marathon is a winning film with engaging characters

Jillian Bell in Brittany Runs a Marathon.

Unless you are particularly blessed, chances are there have been times in your life where you’ve felt inadequate, out-of-shape, or lonely — if not all three. There have been films that have addressed these kinds of issues in the past, but Brittany Runs a Marathon tackles them in an unusually frank manner.

Jillian Bell stars as Brittany, an overweight woman scraping her way by in New York City. She has a low-level job at a theater, uses humor to deflect from almost any real human interaction, and shares an apartment with Gretchen (Alice Lee), who’s skinny and status-obsessed.

When her doctor says she needs to change her lifestyle to be healthier, Brittany takes inspiration from her neighbor Catherine (Michaela Watkins) and decides to give running a chance. Buoyed by positive results and new friendships with Catherine and Seth (Micah Stock), she soon sets a goal of running in the New York City Marathon.

Written and directed by Paul Downs Colaizzo and inspired by the true story of one of his friends, the film is equal parts funny and dramatic. With Bell in the role, Brittany is able to mine humor from almost any situation, and the character’s insecurities — and her reactions to those insecurities being exposed — lead to some uncomfortable scenes that most filmmakers would avoid.

Colaizzo isn’t interested in making the typical studio film full of pratfalls or other comedy lowlights. Instead, he layers in the drama of real life to paint a full portrait of Brittany and the supporting characters. Among the topics brought up in the film are a custody battle, same-sex parenthood, financial woes, and more, each treated as things of genuine interest rather than a way to propel the plot forward.

Ultimately, it’s the relationships in the movie that make it a winning film. Bell, Watkins, and Stock make for an engaging trio, with each getting moments of true introspection. Bell also works well with Utkarsh Ambudkar, who plays a freeloading house sitter, and Lil Rel Howery, who plays Brittany’s brother-in-law with whom she video chats often.

Bell, who’s mostly played supporting roles in the past, shines as the lead. She gave full commitment to the role, losing weight during filming so that she could take the same journey as Brittany. But more importantly, her personality is magnetic, drawing viewers to her no matter what’s happening to the character.

Whether or not Brittany actually accomplishes her goal in Brittany Runs a Marathon is beside the point. The film inspires, thanks to its focus on both internal and external change, and how each needs the other for true success to come.

Movie Review

Supergirl loses the sense of fun that Superman brought to DC Comics films

Milly Alcock in Supergirl

Photo courtesy of DC Studios and Warner Bros. Pictures

Milly Alcock in Supergirl.

The new Superman in 2025 brought with a renewed sense of optimism for, if not the concept of the comic book movie, then at least the DC Comics universe. After more than a decade of DC films that felt mostly creatively bankrupt, the leadership of James Gunn gave the story a sense of fun. That included the brief introduction of Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl, who’s now getting her own showcase in, naturally, Supergirl.

When we first met her in Superman, Supergirl was in rough shape, arriving at the Fortress of Solitude visibly inebriated. Nothing has changed at the beginning of this film, save for her aimlessly traveling around the universe with her rambunctious dog, Krypto. One of her random stops puts her in the same bar as Ruthye (Eve Ridley), who is looking for help tracking down Krem (Matthias Schoenaerts) and a group known as the Brigands after they brutally murdered her family.

Kara is initially loath to offer aid, but when Krem shoots a poison dart into Krypto while escaping, her motivation goes way up, especially since Krem holds the antidote. Kara, with Ruthye doggedly following her, uses every means available to her to find Krem, a journey that is hampered by galaxies having different colored suns than the one that gives her powers, the yellow sun.

Directed by Craig Gillespie and written by Ana Nogueira, the film is a big step back in the fun category, not least because Supergirl is deep in her feelings for much of the film. Her personal trauma, which is detailed in occasional flashbacks, gives a reason for her depression, but fails to land fully. The story seems to want everyone to be sad, as it includes a child trafficking ring and multiple instances of families being murdered.

Milly Alcock and Krypto in Supergirl.Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

To try to counteract that downer material, the filmmakers give Supergirl many opportunities to show off her fighting skills. While still CGI-heavy, the action scenes contain enough of a semblance of reality that they feel exciting. Unfortunately, this is undercut by the inclusion of several slow-motion sequences, giving the impression that the filmmakers didn’t trust the actors to deliver the goods on a consistent basis.

Superman (David Corenswet) makes a handful of appearances in the film, and while his presence is welcome given how well the character came across in the previous movie, it also doesn’t allow Supergirl to become her own person. Almost everything she does is colored by either her cousin or her parents, and since her powers are identical to those of Superman, there is very little that makes her story unique aside from how she’s dealing with the fallout.

Alcock (House of the Dragon, Sirens) gives an appealing performance despite her character being drunk and/or moody most of the time. She definitely sells what Supergirl is going through, so if given a better story in a future film, she’s proven her capability. Schoenaerts makes for a pretty good villain, although he’s aided by a look that includes a face full of studs. Jason Momoa has a memorable supporting role as the bounty hunter Lobo, even if his character doesn’t add much to the story.

While not a full-on disaster, Supergirl does not continue the momentum that Superman started. With a story that’s more concerned with showing audiences death scenes than a hero saving people, the film doesn’t seem to understand the appeal of a character like Supergirl or how to make her someone audiences will return to over and over again.

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Supergirl is now playing in theaters.

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