DAVID GERMAIN, AP Movie Writer
Dax Shepard puts his friends, fiance Kristen Bell, even his own vehicles to good use in “Hit & Run,” a fun little car-chase comedy that’s quite infectious – the good time clearly had by the filmmakers rubs off on the audience.
Done on a tiny budget, the movie’s stunts and chases are nothing much, but the lack of resources steers the story away from action and toward the characters, who are wry, irreverent, even endearing.
Screenwriter Shepard, the “Parenthood” co-star who directed “Hit & Run” with David Palmer, tailors the roles to suit his pals, including Bradley Cooper, Tom Arnold, Kristin Chenoweth and “Parenthood” co-star Joy Bryant.
The result is like a student film made by pros, weirdly idiosyncratic but efficiently paced. It’s well-scripted and well-acted, and if “Hit & Run” lingers too long on so-so gags and inside jokes Shepard and his friends found particularly funny, it compensates with a freewheeling spirit that pulls viewers along for the ride.