Hit and Run

Get out your fast cars and relationship talks, we're reviewing Hit and Run!

It's pretty funny to see Bradley Cooper in dreads.

Charlie(Dax Shepard) and Annie(Kristen Bell) have a great relationship going and trust each other completely. The only problem is Charlie is in the witness protection agency.  When Annie gets a new teaching job in LA, Charlie promises to drive her there.  Their fast-paced road trip brings up some buried things from Charlie's past. Will their relationship last?

If you think my description sounds more like a romantic comedy than the high-octane action movie they've been advertising, well, yes. Yes that exactly. It's not a bad movie, but from the get-go, you'll wonder if you've walked into the right movie. Not that it's a bad movie, but the movie they advertised starts about an hour in.

If you can classify this as anything, it would be a romantic comedy with some bits of action stapled on. There are some nice action scenes and cool driving sections, but the brunt of the movie focuses on Charlie's and Annie's relationship.  This isn't a bad thing. The cuddling, teasing and fighting all feel real, thanks in part to the real-life relationship of Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell.  The fights especially feel awkward and hurtful, as though you'd just walked in on your friends' fighting. And if you're going to see the movie for that aspect, it's all very interesting to watch.

Hit and Run is brimming with a comedy cast. People you haven't seen in years popping up as humorous extras. Kristin Chenoweth(from Pushing Daisies) plays Annie's boss, a pill-popping administrator, Michael Rosenbaum(Smallville) plays Annie's still lovesick ex, and Tom Arnold plays Charlie's hapless witness protection handler. There are tons more that are fun to see The movie's funny, but not laugh-out-loud funny.

The action, when it finally gets around to it, is alright. They don't spend enough time developing Bradley Cooper's Alex, who's the main villain, enough that you wonder if he's supposed to be sympathetic or a total psycho. The movie can't tell.  But it is all about fast cars riding crazy turns to crazy tunes.  The car driving is ok, but it's not to a Tarantino level of driving and crashing porn.

I wouldn't say this is a bad movie, but it's ili-advertised. It's still fun, and has some cute and funny bits, but don't go into it expecting a funny version of the fast and the furious.

THE GOOD: big funny cast, realistic relationship moments, some funny bits, fast cars, good soundtrack.

THE BAD: Not hilarious, not that much action.

THE VERDICT: $$$ It's ok. It's a fun movie but not necessarily a need to see. If you do plan on seeing it, just know that you're walking into a romantic comedy more than an action movie.

MOVIES LIKE IT: Drive, Starsky and Hutch, Snatch, Rat Race, Sex Drive 

ONE-SCENE METAPHOR: Instead of bickering and shouting at each other like generic couples on every other TV show or movie, Charlie is defensive about his past while Annie tries to calm him and talk. It feels like a real conversation. 45 minutes later we get a chase scene.