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Monday, July 20, 2015

MOVIE REVIEW Trainwreck
 A One-Woman Show-Stopping Playground In NYC

Amy Schumer as Amy in Judd Apatow's romantic comedy "Trainwreck", which Ms. Schumer wrote.  Universal 
       
by Omar P.L. Moore/PopcornReel.com        Follow popcornreel on Twitter FOLLOW                                           
Monday, July 20, 2015

 I haven’t had as much fun in a movie theater this year as I had watching Judd Apatow’s romantic comedy “Trainwreck”, a humorous look at a woman’s autonomy and sexual discretion.  After Amy (Amy Schumer) and her sister Kim (Brie Larson) receive a monogamy-is-for-losers talk from their dad at age 7 and 5 or thereabouts, Amy years later lands at a Big Apple glossy magazine under a crazy boss (an unrecognizable Tilda Swinton) who’s assigned her a story on top New York sports doctor Aaron Conners (Bill Hader).  Amy, by the way, hates sports.

“Trainwreck” is fresh, funny and glories in expressing things some merely think.  Ms. Schumer writes the script, which gives her multidimensional character control of her domain and the power to proscribe sexual boundaries with men.  The most enjoyable aspect of “Trainwreck” — and I’m not sure it’s the most appropriate movie title — is watching the sanguine Ms. Schumer deliver the barbs that have made her a household name for many in America.  Her humor is forever active: edgy, in-your-face and never safe. 

Mr. Apatow more or less cedes his direction to Ms. Schumer, whose writing is razor-sharp.  The resonant core of her screenplay and “Trainwreck” is her rocky relationship with her dad Gordon, played terrifically by comedian Colin Quinn.  Amy’s dad, who since his anti-monogamy talk been placed in an assisted living facility, will stop at nothing to say anything he thinks.  Their push-and-pull offers a respite from the film’s livelier episodes.  Ms. Schumer’s comfort, ease and confidence in these and other moments is a tribute to her skill but especially her writing, which gives many actors, cameo performers and athletes like LeBron James (who does well here in his acting debut) choice one-liners.

Ms. Schumer makes hay out of her character’s physical shortcomings or situational mishaps to achieve maximum comedic mileage.  She turns the lemons of her jokes into bona fide lemonade.  I hadn’t seen Ms. Schumer’s television series on IFC but because of “Trainwreck” I will be sure to set my DVR.  She is a relentless physical comedian and her timing and reactions are perfect.  Ms. Schumer’s range in “Trainwreck” is phenomenal.  She’s a one-woman showstopper, the sole reason “Trainwreck” is as good as it is.  For me the laughs were often non-stop.

The kind of truth Amy Schumer unearths in “Trainwreck” — that she’s broken — gets fleeting treatment.  Is Amy “broken” because she’s had sex with many men or because she can’t settle down with a man?  Or some other reason?  Why should Amy have to settle down?  And why would any promiscuity mean that Amy as a character is somehow “deficient” or “broken”?  Granted, “Trainwreck” as a romantic comedy doesn’t entertain these kinds of questions.  But even as a comedy it should have been brave enough to.

The inevitable double standard of male and female sexuality is the elephant in this film’s room.  Gordon’s early admonitions left me the impression that he is solely responsible for Amy’s sexual assertiveness.  Yet it is Amy’s sister Kim who has bought into the paternal model of marriage and family, even though it isn’t always a smooth ride.

Mr. Apatow touches on truths, as he did in “Funny People”, then, as Hollywood comedies often do, quickly swerves back to more comfortably scheduled programming.  The director often has the capacity to push but in recent work he’s reigned himself in.  I don’t know if it’s because like all of us Mr. Apatow is aging — or because he’s had a lot to say lately about Bill Cosby, or who knows(?) — but his excuse at least now might be that Ms. Schumer’s presence as his first female lead and her writing has enabled a different look, feel and cadence to his direction.  The trademark Apatow spikiness and raw visceral comedy is mostly missing here, save for one or two gory shots.

Mr. Hader does well with subtle and pointed humor as Aaron, and his acting continues to put him on firm footing.  Aaron is a bachelor who’s too busy operating on the wrong knees of high-profile athletes to settle down.  Amy is clear on charting her own course too.  What endures for me in “Trainwreck” is the fun Ms. Schumer has, the unbridled control, joy and farcical nature of her enjoyment — and the way she brings out the foolery, craziness and vulnerability in the men she dates.

New York is a big star in “Trainwreck”, and the earthy, warm and open-hearted feel of the city is on full display.  The city looks and feels lived in, alive and rich with people — it feels like the New York of “Midnight Cowboy”, with characters aplenty, vibrant, vital and colorful.  I enjoyed this summer pleasure immensely — and I’d love to see it again.  Soon.

Also with: Jon Cena, Mike Birbiglia and many cameos.

“Trainwreck” is rated R by the Motion Picture Association Of America for strong sexual content, nudity, language and some drug use.  The film's running time is two hours and four minutes.
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