Hit and Run, 2012.
Directed by David Palmer and Dax Shepard.
Starring Dax Shepard, Kristen Bell, Tom Arnold, Bradley Cooper, Kristin Chenoweth, Beau Bridges and Michael Rosenbaum.
SYNOPSIS:
When his girlfriend is offered a new job, a former getaway driver decides to come out of hiding in the Witness Protection Program to move back to Los Angeles.
Hit and Run stars Dax Shepard as Charlie Bronson, a former getaway driver who has been living under the Witness Protection Program after giving up his partners for a previous crime. He’s found the love of his life Annie (Kristen Bell) while staying in Witness Protection and they couldn’t be happier. Annie is offered a new job that would mean she would have to move to L.A., which is where Charlie used to live and was involved in criminal activity. Charlie knows this job means the world to Annie so he decides to take her out to L.A. despite his Witness Protection. Along the way they are followed by Annie’s ex-boyfriend Gil (Michael Rosenbaum), U.S. Marshall Randy (Tom Arnold) and Charlie’s former partner Alex (Bradley Cooper). Charlie just wants to get Annie to her job interview without her finding out about his former life, but Alex has other plans in mind.
After seeing the trailers for Hit and Run I honestly didn’t think this would be all that great. Dax Shepard isn’t someone I particularly like or find funny, but I do like Kristen Bell – she just hasn’t been in too many good movies. However, I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised to see that Hit and Run was actually pretty good. The chemistry between Shepard and Bell is a big part of why the movie works. Being engaged in real life might be part of the reason as to why they have great chemistry but it works all for the better.
Despite Shepard and Bell doing a good job here it’s Tom Arnold (True Lies) and Bradley Cooper (The Hangover) who end up stealing the show. This is definitely an interesting role for Cooper. His character is so crazy and bizarre, and that alone made me enjoy his performance. From his first scene they try and show you just how ridiculous his character is by having him argue with a man at the supermarket over dog food. Arnold’s character is somewhat unnecessary but he’s funny and makes you forget the fact that the movie could do without him. A few cameo appearances from the likes of David Koechner (Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy), Jason Bateman (Horrible Bosses) and Sean Hayes (The Three Stooges) also add a few laughs to proceedings.
Aside from starring in the lead role, Dax Shepard also wrote and co-directed Hit and Run along with David Palmer. This apparently has been a pet project for Shepard who has been trying to get it released for a while now. He isn’t the best writer or director but definitely has potential in both areas. My only real gripe with the movie is that the story isn’t all that much and it takes a little too long for the actual core of the story to really kick in. Still, Hit and Run provides a lot of laughs and features some good comedic performances by Dax Shepard, Kristen Bell and especially Bradley Cooper. Had the story been better, this could have been the surprise comedy of the year.
Flickering Myth Rating: Film ★ ★ / Movie ★ ★ ★
Jake Peffer
Originally published August 25, 2012. Updated April 11, 2018.
