Movie Review: Hit & Run

Dax Shepard and David Palmer return to the director’s chair for the Shepard-written car-chase comedy Hit & Run which stars Shepard as Charlie, an x-criminal getaway driver in the Witness Protection Program who chooses to leave the program and risk his life in order to get his girlfriend Annie (Kristen Bell) to LA for a potentially life-changing job interview.  However when the two are being chased by Annie’s x-boyfriend, a clumbsy Federal Marshall named Randy (Tom Arnold), the police, and Charlie’s x-partner in crime (Bradley Cooper), humor, drama, and some bad ass chase scenes ensue.

This movie has not quite gotten the credit it deserves.  Hit & Run has a clever premise which allows for some great action, comedy, and romance.  I found Shepard and Bell’s chemistry to be charming and more importantly very believable (their real-life romantic relationship may have something to do with that).  There is about as much car chase action in the film as one would want in an action comedy.  And the story does get off track at times but as a whole the production is consistently entertaining.

Hit & Run also has a good sense of humor.  Though not really an outrageously funny comedy, there is a bounty of witty lines and cleverly-written dialogue throughout the film.  I found that the funniest parts of the film involved Tom Arnold whose buffoonish character seems to have been written just for him.

This movie does have its flaws besides the occasional side-tracking of the story line.  Cooper’s dreadlock-sporting bad guy character is not very convincing and is frankly a little ridiculous.  Also at times the movie feels like a car commercial.  However a satisfying conclusion ultimately makes Hit & Run worth checking out.


7/10 1967 Lincoln Continentals