Office Race

When I sat down to watch the 2023 comedy "Office Race", I did so because it was a comedy movie that I hadn't already seen nor actually heard about, plus it had Kelsey Grammer and Alyson Hannigan on the cast list.

Well, this movie from writers Jared Lapidus and James McCarthy turned out to be a dud. The storyline in the movie was pretty bland. Sure, it was straight forward and easy to follow, but it was just so terribly bland and devoid of anything particularly funny. And that made sitting through 81 minutes of it somewhat of a test.

Furthermore, Kelsey Grammer and Alyson Hannigan were hardly in the movie, which was a real shame, because they could have brought a lot to the movie in general. It should be noted, however, that the acting performances in the movie were actually fair enough. And truth be told, then "Office Race" was essentially made watchable because of Joel McHale's character and role.

"Office Race" is listed as a comedy, but it is devoid of anything funny. I didn't even laugh once throughout the course of the 81 minutes that the movie ran for. Nor were I even brought to a smirk or a chuckle. So director Jared Lapidus didn't deliver a successful comedy here.

This is the type of movie that comes and leaves without leaving a lasting mark, much less causing a stir of anything. And it is a movie that will fade into oblivion, never to be seen a second time.

My rating of "Office Race" lands on a generous four out of ten stars.

It had a decent beginning, with all the timeless setups for clichéd couch humor, and with a solid cast, I was hopeful.

As soon as the Boss "loses his mind", the movie derails and then spins out in ALL directions.

None of the easy set-ups are played out with any kind of normalcy or believability. It takes each joke way over-the-top. IDK if there were multiple directors involved on this project or a high turn-over rate, or what, but THEY could not decide which direction to take this film: Farrelly Brother-esque slapstick-smart, Lorne Michel's campy style with copious SNL cameos, or avant-garde cinematic storytelling like Lebowski. Sadly, it captured none of these styles and lacked anything of its own to call special. Most importantly, it lacked humor.

Some likable characters could not save this waste of a budget.

Even the ending is flat. FLAT. In fact, the whole movie is just that: flat.

Love Erinn Hayes though!

Simon Pegg, Thandie Newton & Hank Azaria made "Run Fat Boy Run" (brilliant). This movie, Office Race took that plot, removed the brilliant parts, and added toilet humor and crude sex jokes that fall flat. I own Run Fat Boy Run and I rewatch it every few months, best modern underdog story ever. So Funny. The landlord, the gamblers, the shoplifter, the characters are so memorable. I won't ever bother watching Office Race again.

The plot and the script are the problem. The players did their best. I just watched it before writing this review and I'm deliberately trying to forget it. Run Fat Boy Run is so much better.

Pat (Beck Bennett) is a slacker salesman at an internet finance startup. His former underling Spencer (Joel McHale) gets promoted ahead of him. They need to make a sale to marathon-obsessed Rita (Erinn Hayes). Pat ends up training with Rita's group for an upcoming race with the sale on the line.

SNL alum Beck Bennett does a lot of voice work. As the comedic lead, he needs to be appealing even with the slackerism. In fact, his slackership needs to be fun and enjoyable to the audience. It's meh. That infects the whole movie. It's all very meh. Joel McHale is doing his irreverent most. Mostly, I'm not in love with this lead.

If you're a runner-you'll be laughing and feeling the truth, absurdity, and emotional arc of Pat's (Beck Bennett) transformation of his journey from couch potato to dedicated marathon runner and rooting for him against his hilariously evil boss, Spencer (Joel McHale). McHale's building insanity against Beck's straight performance is a *chef's kiss*, and the make up artist should be compensated double-nay, triple-that transformed McHale from Ken-tacular to testicular.

A cosmic gumbo of over-the-top bits alongside insightful moments for runners, Office Race is a cult comedy in the making with an incredible cast of comedic main stays and newcomers.

If you're a runner's friend, family, or loved one-you'll just be laughing at them. 10/10.