​FILMS

trainwreck

2015 review number 114:

Trainwreck: (Comedy): 81 out of 100

 

Dear Ms Schumer,

 

To be honest, I had never heard of you before I saw you in the trailer and promoting your movie. I found out that you had a popular TV show which I knew nothing about. I usually like seeing stand-up comics perform so I was amazed that you had slipped under the radar. Now you've become a movie star and it has been a meteoric rise. To prove your worth and ability, you have also written the screenplay. How about that? Your first major starring role along with the screenplay directed by a Hollywood power broker in Judd Apatow. You think you're good now? You're better than good. You're brilliant!

 

I wonder how much of this is autobiographical? Your character's first name is also the same as your name. Your father (Colin Quinn) leaves your mother because he would prefer to chase after women. He tells you and your sister, Kim (Brie Larson) when you were both children that it's impossible to stay with the one person for the rest of your life. You take your father's words to heart and you become as promiscuous as he was in his prime. I'm sure the rest of the story is fiction with you being employed by a tabloid magazine with a boss (Tilda Swinton) who demands that you interview a doctor (Bill Hader) about his sports medicine practice, even though you despise all things to do with sport. 

 

It's fantastic how you interact with your co-stars. There are some genuinely moving scenes with Brie Larson who is a young star on the rise. I didn't expect there to be tinge of sadness. I really thought this would be gross out humour throughout the whole movie. Sure, there are quite a few scenes with this type of humour which I appreciate and enjoy, but the great thing is you didn't overdo it. You made sure there was a narrative that the viewer could engage in. 

 

You and Bill Hader have a great rapport with each other. The romantic angle of your character's relationship with Aaron has been well-written. There are some moments though that become far-fetched but I guess that reflects your larger than life personality. I loved the cameo appearances of people like Chris Evert, Matthew Broderick, Daniel Radcliffe and Marisa Tomei, but at the same time, they were a little distracting. The athletes who have been cast such as John Cena as your 'boyfriend' and LeBron James playing himself and Aaron's friend, immerse themselves in their characters and aren't as distracting. They are actually quite funny.

 

I could see why Judd Apatow would direct your screenplay. I believe it's the first time he has directed a movie that he hasn't written. The characters, however, could be similar to the characters he creates, quirky characters that are experiencing angst and flirting with their identity. He has extracted excellent performances from everyone and kept the story flowing. You can tell him that I also enjoyed the images of New York he included which added an extra layer to the film. I don't know how much of a say you had in the soundtrack but I enjoyed a lot of the songs featured, including your use of Uptown Girl by Billy Joel. Every time I hear that song now I'll think of you in your cheerleader's uniform and Aaron humming it while he performs surgeries. 

 

In this movie you demonstrate that you have a future in Hollywood. Not only were you hilarious but you also made the viewer feel sympathy for you; I did hear some sobs in the cinema. That's a mark of an excellent actor, one who can elicit both laughs and tears. And to do this in only your first starring role shows that you have stepped up to the plate. You're no trainwreck in real life.

 

Yours sincerely,

A new fan

 

Starring Amy Schumer, Bill Hader, Brie Larson, Colin Quinn, Tilda Swinton and LeBron James

(124 minutes)

Parental advice: Coarse language, nudity, sex scenes, sexual references and drug use

Additional scene during or after credits: No

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MxnhBPoIx4 (Movie trailer)

(Reviewed on Sunday 9th August, 2015)

 

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