Review: Hit and Run
Escaping one's past is not an easy task, especially in the film industry. Many actors, writers and directors find themselves pigeonholed into a specific genre from which escape appears impossible. Others are stuck with moviegoers' preconceived negative expectations of their movies. For example, I've been flabbergasted by the relentless bashing of Uwe Boll (Rampage, Attack on Darfur).
Actor/filmmaker Dax Shepard is another actor/filmmaker who suffers from the same stereotyping as Boll. Despite his success in the television series Parenthood, it doesn't help that Shepard got his start as Ashton Kutcher's stooge in the MTV hidden-camera show Punk'd, along with roles in Let's Go to Prison and Without a Paddle.
Shepard received little critical acclaim for his directorial debut: the 2010 mockumentary Brother's Justice, in which he pretends to change genres from comedy to martial-arts action films. Expectations for his latest project, the road-chase movie Hit and Run -- which Shepard wrote, directed, edited and starred in -- have been low. However, Shepard demonstrates that he is capable of maturing as a writer when he focuses on drama rather than comedy.
Hit and Run gets its inspiration from car-chase films such as Cannonball Run. Shepard had stated in our AFF 2010 interview that "If there's a Bottle Rocket version of Smokey and the Bandit, that's the film we want to make." The comedy features Shepard as Charlie Bronson, who leads a very unassuming life in a rural town where he's been relocated as part of the witness protection program. Federal marshal Randy (Tom Arnold) is so clumsy it's a wonder that he's assigned to protect Bronson.
When Charlie risks his life to travel to Los Angeles for a job opportunity for his girlfriend Annie (Kristen Bell), he puts both himself and Annie in jeopardy as his old gang pal (Bradley Cooper) is alerted to the pair's whereabouts. Their fast-paced journey becomes hilariously complicated as they attempt to outrun the gang, Randy, jealous ex-boyfriend Gil (Michael Rosenbaum), and Gil's brother Terry (Jess Rowland), who is a law enforcement officer.
Hit and Run is not what most moviegoers familiar with Shepard's work would expect. The best scenes and dialogue are those with his real-life fiance Bell, and are the most authentic moments of the film. The dramatic moments of their relationship are engaging and believable. I also couldn't help but wonder if some of the conversations between Charlie and Annie weren't rooted in real-life conversations -- discussions about not being racist or using particular cuss words. If so, Shepard would benefit as a writer if he heeded at least a fraction of Annie's (Kristen's) advice.
For the first part of the movie, I felt that I wouldn't want to take my dad to this film -- he loves classic car-chase comedies -- as he'd be laughing too much. Later on, one too many gratuitous shots of naked elderly swingers provided a more detrimental reason not to bring the parents, or kids either for that matter.
The cinematography of Hit and Run is well done for a movie with so many cars, slapstick moments and physical effects. I found myself covering my face at one moment as a bowling ball sails through the air. However, this movie suffers from major continuity issues, whether from the site locations or sloppy writing and editing. Bell's college-professor character Annie could have taught Shepard a bit about math and physics. If Charlie has raced cars and is driving a 700-cubic-inch motor Lincoln, why does it take them so long to get to their destination? Not to mention they encounter Terry and his partner as well as the gang members on what seems to be the same country roads.
Despite its flaws, Hit and Run contains a good movie in there somewhere. The filmmaker's tendency to cast his friends in supporting roles significantly hurts the film, especially in subplots that rely on lowbrow humor and a sub-par performance from Tom Arnold. Shepard is at his best in his moments with Bell, who shines with her humor and vulnerability. Kristin Chenoweth, as Annie's supervisor, delivers her lines with such hilarity that she's grossly underutilized, and Cooper is almost unrecognizable as a dread-locked violent gang leader. If Shepard can dial it down, relying less on gratuitous nudity and politically incorrect (often racist) rants -- and trust someone else to edit -- he may found more success in filmmaking.