Director Paul Downs Colaizzo on how Brittany Runs A Marathon avoids clichés

By Marah Eakin | August 23, 2019 | 3:30pm

Film Features Paul Downs Colaizzo

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It’s easy when you see the trailer for Brittany Runs A Marathon to think “oh great. Another movie about a drunk, overweight girl realizing she’s unhealthy.” And while that’s part of Brittany Runs A Marathon, it’s deeper than that. She does run a marathon, but she also tells jokes, makes mistake, and moves through life with heart.

All of that is thanks in part to director and writer Paul Downs Colaizzo, who based the movie on one of his friends, who is also named Brittany. The A.V. Club talked to him about that process, as well as how he kept the movie from being a total cliché.