Hit & Run

Hit and Run is an unexpectedly smart, self-aware comedy masquerading behind its silly exterior.

When Charlie Bronson (Shepard) decides to risk his witness protection status to help his girlfriend (Bell) get to a job interview in Los Angeles, his past starts to catch up with him.

Needless to say, shootouts, car chases and hilarity ensue.

The classic set-up is broken up by observational humor to show some truths about relationships that translate to a different type of on-screen comedy. Shaky camera movements and tight shots add semi-reality, updating an otherwise-ridiculous movie to a sort of hipster version of a circa-2005 Vince Vaughn film.

What the film may lack in plot development, it more than makes up for in noteworthy characters. Kristen Chenoweth is dead-on as Bell’s Xanax— popping, brutally
inappropriate boss.

Bradley Cooper is equally hilarious as a dread-locked but domesticated gangster.

Though there’s no shortage of fast-paced action and slapstick humor, this fresh take on the genre makes for a fun comedy that errs short of the stupidity line, thankfully eliciting more chuckles than groans.

By Jayne Flax