If you like Amy Schumer, then you are going to like ‘Trainwreck’. If you love Amy Schumer, then you are going to love ‘Trainwreck’. This is a film by comedy guru Judd Apatow that is a showcase for Amy Schumer’s brand of comedy. She came onto the comedy stand up scene a few years ago and made a name for herself with her uniquely Amy brand of humor. Always brash, usually vulgar, sometimes over the top, but always with a hint of honesty and heart that people can relate to. Come to think of it, that is the profile of many Judd Apatow films, so I don’t know why it took so long for these two to get together.
As far back as she can remember, Amy learned that monogamy is not a practical lifestyle. This was reinforced by her father (Collin Quinn doing a great Collin Quinn impression) who hammered this into her had after his divorce. As Amy grew to adulthood, her relationships consisted mainly of one night stands and absolutely no second dates or sleep overs. She landed a job as a writer at a men’s magazine and everything appeared to be going her way. That is until one day, when she is assigned to write a story on Aaron Collins (the always delightful Bill Hader), a sports medicine doctor who also happens to be best friends with LeBron James. I usually detest sports figures who try their hands at acting, especially when they play themselves. This is an exception, as LeBron showed that he has some pretty impressive comic timing for a sports star. He had some of the funniest lines and scenes in the movie and he was more than just a novelty appearance.
Like most Rom Coms, ‘Trainwreck’ follows the usual formula of the montage of quirky fun-around-town activities that cause the heroine to fall for the man despite her resistance. There is even the quirky best friend (SNLs Vanessa Bayer) to tell her how wacky she is. All of that is formula (which I hate), but Judd Apatow and Amy Schumer are able to break the mold with the over the top Amy style crudeness and cynicism of her comedy. Much like ‘Bridesmaids’ did years ago, Amy shows that women aren’t one dimensional when it comes to comedy and they can get shock laughs just as good (and often better) than their male counterparts. I will claim as much guilt as the next guy as to rather getting a root canal than sitting through a romantic comedy, but Aptaow is able to bring enough edge to appeal to anyone looking for an R-rated comedy
Amy struggles to reconcile falling for the perfect guy with her belief that she will screw up any relationship she is in. Her sister’s idyllic married life draws both admiration and revulsion from her. She has fallen for her new boyfriend Aaron, but doesn’t see how it will work. Aaron, for his part, loves Amy for all her quirks (although he does have an amusingly hard time coming to grips with how many men she has slept with). If I have one criticism of the film is that it is a little long and the sudden sad turn during the third act stretches past the point of effectiveness. Apt is too experienced of a director to have let it plod along as long as it did. Despite that criticism, it didn’t take away from the overall enjoyment of this showcase for Amy Schumer.
If she isn’t a household name by now, this film will be the start of a long and industrious career for Amy Schumer. She will add her name to the ranks of comedians who have made the jump from stand-up to the Big Screen (with a small stop on television). I loved the inclusion of all the bit parts with everyone from Jon Cena playing Amy’s sexually confused booty call, to Dave Atell as her street person/confident. I highly recommend this film as I do all Judd Apatow films (Well, most of them) and encourage anyone thinking this is just a normal romantic comedy to take a chance and be prepared to laugh.
I give this film ** 1/2 stars
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