Info: Opens today in theaters everywhere; rated PG-13 for some rude and sexual humor, nudity, language and smoking; 100 minutes.

David Schwimmer veers a long way from his "Friends" days with this oddly paced comedy. It stars Simon Pegg ("Shaun of the Dead") as Dennis, a London slacker who tries to win back his ex-fiancée Libby (Thandie Newton) - five years after leaving her, pregnant, at the altar - by running a marathon, challenging Libby's rich and athletic current boyfriend (Hank Azaria). Schwimmer keeps a loose grip on the reins, letting Pegg (who co-wrote with "Stella" co-creator Michael Ian Black) develop his schlubby character to its fullest. This may not lead to an onslaught of gut-busting laughs, but the humor that does come forth is heartier and more authentic.

Paranoid Park

Info: Opens today at the Broadway Centre Cinemas; rated R for some disturbing images, language and sexual content; 85 minutes.

In his commercial mode, director Gus Van Sant gives us well-crafted drama like "Good Will Hunting" and "To Die For." With this drama set among the skateboarder culture of his native Portland, Ore., Van Sant favors his experimental side that gave us "Gerry" and "Last Days," movies where the camera follows the protagonist in the dim hope that he'll actually do something. Actually, the movie's central figure, a teen named Alex (newcomer Gabe Nevins), has done something quite horrible - leading to a gruesome and accidental death - and he walks around trying to figure out what to do next. Van Sant opens a window onto the teen life of missing-in-action parenting, casual sex and even more casual relationships, but the insights have less depth than a skateboard wheel's imprint.

National Lampoon's Bag Boy

Info: Opens today at the Carmike 12 (West Jordan); rated PG-13 for sexual content, language and some drug references; 95 minutes.

Two names that shouldn't be associated with the PG-13 rating: Judd Apatow (e.g., "Drillbit Taylor") and the National Lampoon, which strikes out in its attempt here to make raunchiness safe enough to avoid the R rating. This wheezing parody of sports movies centers on Phil (Paul Campbell), a supermarket bagger groomed for the competition grocery-bagging circuit by his grouchy boss (Dennis Farina), a former bag champ himself. Anything that might have been appealing in this movie - the pretty Marika Dominczyk as a love interest, Robert Hoffman (the hunk from "Step Up 2: The Streets") as the reigning champ, the usually funny Larry Miller as a rival bagger-coach, or the local landmarks in this filmed-in-Utah production - are overwhelmed by a script (co-written by director Mort Nathan) devoid of jokes and skirting the edge of salaciousness without, alas, ever tipping over.