Trainwreck (B+ or 3/4 stars)
Before a few months ago, I'd never heard of stand-up comedienne (and Senator Chuck Schumer's niece) Amy Schumer. I've never seen her television show. But through the magic of youtube, I've seen enough of her now (late night talk show appearances, skits, stand-up acts) to know that I think her brand of raunchy, self-deprecating humor is pretty dang funny. She's been highly publicized as of late; exploding onto the scene and, I for one am looking forward to her rising star.
Written somewhat autobiographically by Schumer & directed by Judd Apatow, 'Trainwreck' begins with a flashback, as philandering daddy (Colin Quinn) tells young Amy Townsend & her sister why he & their mom are divorcing, making them repeat: "Monogamy isn't realistic". Flash-forward 23 yrs. & we see that Amy (now Schumer) has taken daddy's words to heart. Boozy, commitment-phobic Amy is a men's magazine writer and "serial slut", seducing whomever she wants when she wants them ... but never spending the night. Her man-of-the-moment is the muscular Steven (WWE's John Cena), who stuns her when he wants to go beyond being f*ck buddies -- she freaks & dumps him. Then her impertinent editor (a fun, nearly unrecognizable Tilda Swinton) assigns sports-loathing Amy to interview Dr. Aaron Conners (Bill Hader), a successful on-call orthopedist for the NY Knicks (patients include like his best-bud, NBA superstar LeBron James).
Charmed by her uninhibited candor, sweet Aaron invites her to dinner. Dinner leads to drinks. Drinks leads to his condo; where Amy starts mounting him on his couch. Their relationship starts great and, Aaron wants nothing more than to be in love with Amy. But the anxious, ever-doubtful (of her own feelings) Amy doesn't think she's cut-out for this new straight lifestyle. Although 'Trainwreck' is mostly about the ups-&-downs in the Amy/Aaron relationship, the film also beings light to other aspects of Amy's life. She has an obstreperous relationship with her happily-married-with-stepson sister, Kim (Brie Larson). She also has a deep {if also troubling} bond with her now ailing father. Both hilarity & poignancy ensues.
Amy Schumer's bold brand of comedy takes center stage in 'Trainwreck'. I am most grateful, for she delivers full belly laughs time & time again. She also makes you think, & may even make you shed a tear. So yeah, while the film is mostly an edgy/raucous comedy, there is sadness, & it even morphs into a surprisingly traditional rom com. Some viewers may be disappointed by the girl-loses-a-sense-of-herself-en-route-to-getting-the-guy trajectory. But that didn't bother ME too much. There's a lot to like here, most of all, the performances from this large & varied cast.
Not only is Bill Hader exceedingly likeable (and a refreshingly unconventional leading man), but has also proven to be as adept in serious roles as he is funny ones. Brie Larson is great as Amy's frustrated sister. Tilda Swinton is outrageous as Amy's sexy-bitch editor. John Cena is hysterical as a sensitive muscles-for-brains guy who needs to be coached how to talk dirty during sex with Amy {haha}. The film is littered with cameos (Daniel Radcliffe, Marisa Tomei, Chris Evert, Matthew Broderick, Marv Albert); some of which work, some don't. Who also doesn't 'work' is LeBron James. His involvement in this movie is stunt casting, pure & simple. He's not BAD or anything, but most scenes involving him fall pretty flat, which broke the pacing, and added padding to a verging-on-too-long comedy to begin with.
All in all, 'Trainwreck' is a winner. While it tends towards the brash, funny, & even vulgar ... there's also an inherent sweetness that permeates the proceedings (surely the Apatow touch). There's also the fun use of a musical cue (Billy Joel's "Uptown Girl"). The song plays multiple times, including the final 10 minutes; a scene SO winning, that it reminded me of the fantastic "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" mime scene in last yr.'s The Skeleton Twins. Though portions of 'Trainwreck' are a tad long-winded, most of it works like gangbusters {the audience I was in ate this movie up}. Amy Schumer is a revelation (radiant, self-confident, self-deprecating, yet also imparts surprising vulnerability). Her chemistry with Bill Hader is JUST right. For a comedy, the major characters are fleshed-out quite well. A little tighter, a little more daring in its narrative trajectory, and 'Trainwreck' might have been a comedy masterpiece for the ages. As is, it's still pretty darn good.
Written somewhat autobiographically by Schumer & directed by Judd Apatow, 'Trainwreck' begins with a flashback, as philandering daddy (Colin Quinn) tells young Amy Townsend & her sister why he & their mom are divorcing, making them repeat: "Monogamy isn't realistic". Flash-forward 23 yrs. & we see that Amy (now Schumer) has taken daddy's words to heart. Boozy, commitment-phobic Amy is a men's magazine writer and "serial slut", seducing whomever she wants when she wants them ... but never spending the night. Her man-of-the-moment is the muscular Steven (WWE's John Cena), who stuns her when he wants to go beyond being f*ck buddies -- she freaks & dumps him. Then her impertinent editor (a fun, nearly unrecognizable Tilda Swinton) assigns sports-loathing Amy to interview Dr. Aaron Conners (Bill Hader), a successful on-call orthopedist for the NY Knicks (patients include like his best-bud, NBA superstar LeBron James).
Charmed by her uninhibited candor, sweet Aaron invites her to dinner. Dinner leads to drinks. Drinks leads to his condo; where Amy starts mounting him on his couch. Their relationship starts great and, Aaron wants nothing more than to be in love with Amy. But the anxious, ever-doubtful (of her own feelings) Amy doesn't think she's cut-out for this new straight lifestyle. Although 'Trainwreck' is mostly about the ups-&-downs in the Amy/Aaron relationship, the film also beings light to other aspects of Amy's life. She has an obstreperous relationship with her happily-married-with-stepson sister, Kim (Brie Larson). She also has a deep {if also troubling} bond with her now ailing father. Both hilarity & poignancy ensues.
Amy Schumer's bold brand of comedy takes center stage in 'Trainwreck'. I am most grateful, for she delivers full belly laughs time & time again. She also makes you think, & may even make you shed a tear. So yeah, while the film is mostly an edgy/raucous comedy, there is sadness, & it even morphs into a surprisingly traditional rom com. Some viewers may be disappointed by the girl-loses-a-sense-of-herself-en-route-to-getting-the-guy trajectory. But that didn't bother ME too much. There's a lot to like here, most of all, the performances from this large & varied cast.
Not only is Bill Hader exceedingly likeable (and a refreshingly unconventional leading man), but has also proven to be as adept in serious roles as he is funny ones. Brie Larson is great as Amy's frustrated sister. Tilda Swinton is outrageous as Amy's sexy-bitch editor. John Cena is hysterical as a sensitive muscles-for-brains guy who needs to be coached how to talk dirty during sex with Amy {haha}. The film is littered with cameos (Daniel Radcliffe, Marisa Tomei, Chris Evert, Matthew Broderick, Marv Albert); some of which work, some don't. Who also doesn't 'work' is LeBron James. His involvement in this movie is stunt casting, pure & simple. He's not BAD or anything, but most scenes involving him fall pretty flat, which broke the pacing, and added padding to a verging-on-too-long comedy to begin with.
All in all, 'Trainwreck' is a winner. While it tends towards the brash, funny, & even vulgar ... there's also an inherent sweetness that permeates the proceedings (surely the Apatow touch). There's also the fun use of a musical cue (Billy Joel's "Uptown Girl"). The song plays multiple times, including the final 10 minutes; a scene SO winning, that it reminded me of the fantastic "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" mime scene in last yr.'s The Skeleton Twins. Though portions of 'Trainwreck' are a tad long-winded, most of it works like gangbusters {the audience I was in ate this movie up}. Amy Schumer is a revelation (radiant, self-confident, self-deprecating, yet also imparts surprising vulnerability). Her chemistry with Bill Hader is JUST right. For a comedy, the major characters are fleshed-out quite well. A little tighter, a little more daring in its narrative trajectory, and 'Trainwreck' might have been a comedy masterpiece for the ages. As is, it's still pretty darn good.