“Brittany Runs A Marathon” is not just a runner’s tale. Of course, most of us runners will also be super eager to tell you running isn’t really about running either. This story about Brittany does a wonderful job of conveying exactly that. I watched this because I’m a runner. Even so, I was hesitant because I can’t stomach the by the numbers beats these movies typically hit. It ruins any hope of sincerity, but “Brittany Runs A Marathon” did not. This is an adult movie about taking charge and accountability of your life and your choices. It’s going through the vortex of your life and facing the toxicity you’ve allowed to wallow there.

“I think you totally missed the point of those Dove ads.”

The story starts with a woman in the middle of her in life, who hasn’t been making the best choices. She’s overweight, working a dead-end job that she can barely show up for, barely making ends meet, sleeping all day, and partying at night. Her relationships with her friends are centered around her being able to make fun of herself while constantly reminding them that they are the superstars. At some point her doctor gives her a wake-up call and she begins to be conscious of the seriousness of her place.  It’s not a “friend” that reaches out to her, but a concerned neighbor who helps opens the door to change.

Some of what you would expect happens.  Brittany starts to make better choices and begins to lose weight. She begins to develop healthy, supportive and encouraging relationships with new people, and she begins to divert from her old life and choices the more that she realized they didn’t fulfill her. Almost accidentally along the way, she starts to discover herself.  We realize the movie isn’t about running a marathon, outward beauty, or one big switch to a happy ending. It’s about taking control of our lives and accountability for our choices.

“All body types are beautiful.”

Fast forward to some obstacles and life not always working outright even when you make the right choices and she’s faced with the true test. What do you do when you’ve tried to do right and things still don’t work out? Real people mess up, and Brittany does. She’s not always likable and when she falls, it’s pretty hard. But this isn’t a shallow story, it’s an honest one.

It also makes all of those peaks she hits at the end more worthwhile and sincere. She doesn’t appreciate her journey because of the end, she does because she’s worked so hard to get there.  Because of what she’s learned.  She realizes she can’t do it all on her own, and finds gratitude for the people that supported her along the way.

“I’m not going to be your fat sidekick anymore.”

It’s also a great example of making friendships out of your comfort zone. As a runner, you see people from every walk of life with completely different backgrounds that run. Everyone has a unique story and motivation, but you are all there fighting the same fight and struggle. It’s a beautiful show of connecting on a deeper level rather than superficial things like working the same job or other relationships of convenience.

It’s difficult to argue with the value of earnestness.  That earnestness is what makes “Brittany Runs A Marathon” really connect on more palpable level.  You’re a voyeur to a real story, about a real person who’s fighting to find the courage to face her own life and is willing to change it.  It’s about recognizing who’s supporting your success and not your failures. It’s about accepting help and the mistakes you’ve made and trying to learn from them.  “Brittany Runs A Marathon” is about learning how to make and create your own happiness. The marathon is just a metaphor.

Rating: 4/5 Stars