DVD Reviews

Hit & Run – Blu-ray Review

By Jeff Swindoll Jan 10, 2013, 14:47 GMT

Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell star in this hilarious, non-stop action-packed comedy costarring Bradley Cooper, Kristin Chenoweth and Tom Arnold. A nice guy with a questionable past, Charlie Bronson (Shepard), risks everything when he busts out of a witness protection program to drive his girlfriend (Bell) to Los Angeles for the job opportunity of a lifetime. Their road trip grows awkwardly complicated, however, when they\'re chased by an inept fed ...more

Hit & Run is a labor of love from couple Dax Shepard and his cars…. I mean Kristen Bell.  If the elderly obese engaging in motel room orgies and a trigger happy Tom Arnold are your cup of tea then you may have found nirvana.  Others might find enjoyment, but again others might find a flat tire.

Charlie Bronson (Dax Shepard) and his girlfriend Annie (Kristen Bell) seem to be a perfect couple in a small town.  When Annie is given a chance by her boss Debbie (Kristen Chenoweth) to get a job in L.A. at a major university, she jumps at the chance but it will mean moving and she doesn’t know if Charlie will approve since he’s in witness protection. 

After a raucous afternoon with his clumsy cop pal Randy (Tom Arnold), Charlie is told about Annie’s job offer.  He decides to take a chance and go back to L.A. in his tricked out 1967 Lincoln Continental, but they need to stop by Annie’s old boyfriend Gil’s (Michael Rosenbaum) place to get her teaching certificate. 

Gil still pines for Annie and thinks that Charlie is going to murder her.  Gil also happens upon Charlie’s real name and a quick Google has him in contact with Alex (Bradley Cooper), Charlie aka Yul’s partner in crime. 

Alex, Allen (Ryan Hansen), and Neve (Joy Bryant) jump in their car on an interception course with Yul to extract some revenge.  They’re not the only one after Yul and Annie as Gil, his gay sheriff brother Terry (Jess Rowland), Terry’s partner Angela (Carly Hatter), and Randy are also trying to catch up with the couple as they cruise to L.A. 

Along the way, Annie will discover all about Yul and decide to reevaluate their relationship. 

Some things I didn’t know.  First is that Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell were a couple.  Actually, they’re a cute one in an “opposites attract” way.  Second is that Shepard is obviously a car lover since much of the motor mayhem features an assortment of his personal vehicles. 

Third is that Shepard and Bell really doing all the car stunts (Shepard in the driver’s seat and Bell really along for the ride).  The film is obviously a labor of love for the couple since they put so much into it. 

Shepard writes and co-directs and Bell produces.  I’d also imagine that much of the cast is from their personal rolodex of pals.  What may not exactly come through with much love is that many of the jokes fall flat and seem to be force in a screenplay sort of way. 

Many of the observations that the couple or characters engage in that set up the jokes seem more written than genuine interaction.  I have to say that I’ve seen worse though, it’s just that it never revs up into a more memorable comedy like you would hope. 

The endeavor was made on a shoestring (2 million, half of that for music rights) by Hollywood standards and made enough back that Shepard and Bell laughed their way to the bank. 

Hit & Run is presented in a 1080p transfer (2.35:1).  Special features include 18 minutes of deleted scenes and 6 minutes of featurettes.  You also get a DVD, digital copy, and ultraviolet download. 

Hit & Run has running around in Shepard’s personal fleet but never really hits the stride to become a comedy that hits the mark.  It does have a certain charm and a game cast of pals.  Fans of any of the stars may burn rubber to get to it, but others may stall out. 

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