Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard in "Hit and Run"
Spirited and saucy, “Hit and Run” is a small movie with big spirit, a Tarantino-ish sensibility, and a scattergun ethos that results in more hits than misses. It’s continually funny and surprisingly tenderhearted, so much so that even when it runs into dead ends and confusions you stay with it.
Dax Shepard, who wrote and co-directs, stars as Charlie Bronson, a mystery man living in the witness protection program in rural California with his girlfriend, Annie (Shepard’s real-life sweetie, Kristen Bell.) When Annie gets a job opportunity in Los Angeles, Charlie determines to help her get there, even though it’s the most dangerous place in the world for him. And the danger has been heightened by Annie’s jealous ex, who forces Charlie to reveal his true identity and deal with his past.
Along the way, there are outlandish visual and verbal jokes, fistfights and car chases, and some unexpected cameos (including a quite funny performance by Bradley Cooper as a gangster). It can get sloppy and silly and gratuitous at times, but “Hit and Run” never feels tired. Its energy and verve overcome its misfires.