TRAINWRECK (2015)
Reviewed by Jerry Saravia
Amy Schumer stars as Amy, a writer for S'nuff, a magazine focusing on predominantly racy topics. When Amy is not writing, she profusely smokes pot, parties hearty, drinks like a fish and is usually spent after having anonymous sex with club dates in their apartments. There are no limits to Amy - she has no interest in romantic relationships, especially with a musclebound John Cena (absolutely hilarious) who wants marriage yet has odd sexual requests. No, Amy wants to be single and free to party! That is until she meets a Billy Joel-loving sports doctor, Aaron Conners (Bill Hader), whom she is profiling for a magazine article. Aaron and Amy seem to hit it off quickly yet she has her own special requests after sex - no breathing in her direction while sleeping in the same bed.
Anyone who watches rom-coms (I have seen one too many) knows the outcome of this relationship. The difference is in the details of the outcome. Amy Schumer serves her Amy with brains and her own attitude towards blah relationships - she views them with the same indifference and lack of emotional connection as she would the latest text or tweet. Amy is abrasive, sexually carnivorous, willing to be drugged out of her mind (though not too far in the land of Apatow) and curtails likability yet she possesses something more - charm. Even when she says filthy things or makes filthy gestures (or vomits during a knee replacement surgery), you can't help but still like Amy and be charmed. She is Sarah Silverman with a heart. Schumer and director Judd Apatow also infuse some pathos with regards to Amy - her fractured relationship with her prejudiced dad (Colin Quinn) who is in an assisted living home, and her topsy-turvy relationship to her married sister (Brie Larson) which could've used more insight. Nevertheless, Amy might be making everyone's lives miserable but you hope she rises above it all. She is not too conceited but she is self-centered, too concentrated on satisfying herself before she can satisfy anyone. It is that element that makes "Trainwreck" rise above any other mediocre romantic comedy where the woman, the scorned love object, often learns to be subservient and remain the love puppy. Except we are in the land of Schumerisms where such behavior, usually written in dishonest rom-coms from a man's perspective, isn't tolerated.
"Trainwreck" has a gallery of earned laughs from a juicy supporting cast. An unrecognizable Tilda Swinton plays the bitchiest, meanest, most realistic boss since Kevin Spacey in "Horrible Bosses." There is also LeBron James as himself who scores many direct laughs as Conners' buddy who can't block Conners for one instant during a basketball game; the aforementioned John Cena who "looks like Mark Wahlberg ate Mark Wahlberg"; Colin Quinn as Gordon, Amy's loudmouth father who clearly shows where Amy's personality comes from, and Dave Atell as a homeless man who desires alcohol as much as Amy does. Marv Albert, Chris Evert and Matthew Broderick also shine in sparkling cameos during an intervention, and let us not forget Bridget Everett (fans of "Inside Amy Schumer" will know her) who has a zinger that can't be repeated here in print for fear of causing hysterical laughter. I would love to see Everett have her own movie some day - she may go places that may even leave Amy Schumer blushing.
"Trainwreck" is not a seamless comedy-drama but it is a little purposefully messy and disorganized and that adds to its appeal, not unlike Amy Schumer. Sure, the ending is foreseeable but it is not finite - Schumer and Hader make a great couple but the friction in their characters' relationship shows. What is missing is some of the biting humor from her Comedy Central show but that is not where Amy and Apatow want to go. It shows Amy Schumer is a genuine talent, a stunning, sprightly actress who doesn't feel small on the big screen.
