Review

Hit & Run is the story of a young man and woman living in a small town outside of Los Angeles. Okay, the man it turns out, is in the witness protection program, but, the woman knows this. She gets a job opportunity in LA – the place where he cannot go back – and needs to go for an interview. Despite his impending death, he insists on taking her to the interview and the journey is the movie…

Story: It is funny, but, it’s a bit simplistic in parts. Dax Shepard is writer/director/actor, so, if you think he’s funny, you’ll get it. But, things like the person from whom he is being witness-protected from turns out to be his best friend from childhood. Is that really that scary?

AND, knowing that you should be inconspicuous going back to the city where you might get gunned-down, would you drive your restored 1967 Lincoln Continental with the suicide doors? A little obvious, but, I get his point.

But, there is one scene where they talk about his friend’s time in jail that is the funniest scene in the movie. It gets stretched out unnecessarily, but, because of the topic, kudos to Dax Shepard for making it work. No spoiler here – you have to see the movie…

Performances: Dax Shepard and his wife Kristen Bell play the main characters and there’s nothing particularly compelling about either of their characters. But, as you might expect, Shepard has weaved in a cast of misfits that give the story color.

There’s a gay sheriff who is always using a gay app to find other gay men and guess what… He finds the Marshall who is protecting Shepard’s character. FYI, the sheriff’s brother happens to be Kristen Bell’s characters ex, who is still obsessed with her and follows them to LA.

And last is Bradley Cooper, who plays the best friend who’s hunting Shepard’s character. He’s actually my favorite character. The best scene in the movie is between their two characters… they kill it…

Visual: Nothing to speak of except the use of cars in the movie. It’s kinda obvious that Shepard likes cars because there’s an interesting mix of cars and driving. Other than that, Bradley Cooper’s character has a unique look that’s kinda funny.

Rating: Giving Hit & Run a B-. I learned some interesting things from this movie – pop culture social details that I don’t need, but, are good to know for general consciousness. It really is just a mindless hour and a half if you’ve got nothing else to do and nothing else to watch. DVD or streaming when you’ve got nothing else to do…