Trainwreck

Trainwreck

Starring Amy Schumer, Bill Hader, LeBron James, Brie Larson
Directed by Judd Apatow

The Story:
A father teaches his two young daughters why he and their mother are getting a divorce - because monogamy isn't realistic.  Twenty-three years later, Amy (Amy Schumer) takes that advice to heart as she has fling after fling with no emotional attachments, and never spending the night.  Meanwhile, her younger sister Kim (Brie Larson) is married with a stepson and a child on the way.  The two women couldn't be any more opposite, especially concerning their father (Colin Quinn) who has multiple sclerosis and has to go to a retirement home - Amy wants the best, Kim wants the cheapest.

Amy works for a men's magazine led by no-nonsense Dianna (Tilda Swinton in an utterly unrecognizable role), and she's tasked with writing a story about sports medicine doctor Aaron Conners (Bill Hader), to which Amy has some trepidation - she knows nothing about sports nor does she have any desire to.  Still, she takes the job and the two hit it off in a major way, and Amy begins to really fall for him, which goes against her nature and what she was brought up to believe.  As the relationship develops, she experiences things she never thought she could, and all her inner insecurities and fears bubble to the surface that could threaten the one good thing in her life.

The Synopsis:
Amy Schumer is one of today's hottest comediennes, and her sketch show on Comedy Central, "Inside Amy Schumer," is an Emmy-award winning hit.  When it came time for her feature film debut, she set to writing the script with renowned director Judd Apatow ("Knocked Up," "The 40-Year-Old Virgin") in mind.  He agreed to direct, which makes this the first film he also didn't write.

The result is a mixed bag.  Schumer's natural charisma gets us through the bloated two-hour runtime with several laugh-out-loud moments and some amazing supporting roles, especially John Cena as one of Schumer's conquests and LeBron James playing himself.  Oscar-winners Brie Larson and Tilda Swinton (who you seriously couldn't tell it was her without looking it up online, she looks that different) also give commanding performances.  Amy makes no bones about insulting everyone - including herself, and that's one of the most refreshing things about her.  While other women suffer from image problems, Schumer embraces everything about herself, and is not afraid to make fun of them as well.

The story of "Trainwreck" is deeply personal to Schumer, as it mirrors several aspects about her real life.  Both in the film and in reality, she was raised in Long Island, has a sister named Kim, and a father who suffered from multiple sclerosis.  This leads to surprisingly tender and even emotional moments that also continue to be laced with Schumer's particular brand of humor, which lightens the mood but not enough to make them unimportant.   

It's because of this dysfunctional family life that Amy has adopted a self-destructive lifestyle of random one-night-stands and drunken behavior.  She comes across as a confident woman, but has severe insecurities and fears locked deep down inside that begin to bubble to the surface as she begins a relationship with the kind-hearted Aaron.  The on-screen chemistry between Amy Schumer and Bill Hader add to the realism of the picture, and this is a couple you really root for.

Yet, in traditional Apatow fashion, the film is bogged-down with an over two hour runtime, with several scenes that don't add to the picture as a whole and could've been cropped to make a more lean, strong picture.  At times I felt the film was about to end, only to find I still had over an hour left.  The ending dragged on needlessly, as you already knew the ultimate outcome.

Maybe that's why comedies are my least favorite genre.  There's a set pattern that 99% of all comedies hold to strictly:
-we meet the characters and learn their inner conflicts
-things begin to go very well for everyone
-something out of the blue happens that threatens the happiness of everyone involved
-there's a "come to Jesus" moment that resolves all the conflict
-everyone lives happily ever after

While some comedies veer from this mold, "Trainwreck" isn't one of them.  Still, it's the strong Amy Schumer that makes the film funny and witty, as well as emotional and heartfelt.

The Summary:
Even though it's got an overly long runtime, "Trainwreck" delivers the laughs and the feels and shows why Amy Schumer is one of the best at her job.

The Score: A-