Trainwreck (2015) Film Review

Amy Schumer is currently the comedic equivalent of Jennifer Lawrence. She's an award-winner thanks to her ongoing sketch series Inside Amy Schumer; is considered an advocate for multiple causes include feminism and, more recently due to tragic events, gun control; and has been parading around social media through her 'adorkable' approach during press events. So now, with her first lead role in a feature film, and Judd Apatow's first feature in the director's chair since 2012's This is 40, can the popular comedienne translate to the silver screen without falling flat on her face? And when considering that the romantic comedy genre is one often mocked for its simplistic and predictable approach (least of all by me), can Trainwreck avoid being – dare I say it – a trainwreck of a picture? 

When Amy and her sister Kim are informed about their parents' divorce, their father (Colin Quinn) instructs them that monogamy isn't realistic, and tries to keep that ideology in their minds. Fast forward to about two decades later, and while Kim (Brie Larson) has opted for the family approach by marrying into a family (Mike Birbiglia and Evan Brinkman) Amy (Schumer) has other ideas, as she balances a one-sided relationship with tough guy Steven (John Cena) and the night life of getting drunk, high and sleeping with different guys each night. After Steven discovers this while out on a date, and they later break up, Amy is assigned by her boss at S'nuff magazine (an unrecognisable Tilda Swinton) to do a piece on a sports doctor who's about to test out a new technique for knee injuries called Dr. Aaron Connors (Bill Hader). But over time, partially thanks to her ongoing issues with her father who's residing at an expensive nursing home and the torn relationship between him and Kim, the two become intimate and a romance begins to bloom. But, like all romantic comedies, can their relationship withstand the tests of everything around them? 

From the outset, you wouldn't be wrong in presuming that this is a typical kind of storyline for a rom-com to approach, with the added aspects of Schumer being a stoner/alcoholic being something of a staple for Apatow films. Thankfully, a number of the usual elements are downplayed a bit to allow for focus on the actual story rather than the gags (although they are constant), but the unfortunate part is that the story isn't overly engaging, especially when considering the picture's dragged-out two hour runtime. Despite a good enough opening with the younger Townsend family (the father's explanation for his adultery surprisingly makes complete sense, if not for the fact that it's adultery) it quickly boils down into a slow burning story that takes forever establishing the characters to the point where nearly a quarter of the film has gone by before you even meet Hader's character. An hour later, and they're rushing the usual 'get back together' convention that makes a rom-com a rom-com. These structural issues lead the film to slog through its overly dramatic story before remembering that there are key elements for the genre that they must abide to. 

Comedy-wise, there really isn't much to it, least of that'll actually make you laugh. With some form of ongoing gags in the form of a homeless man outside Amy's building making comments about her lifestyle, Swinton's bewildering boss and how she makes comments about literally anything and the overtly gay 'undertones' with practically anything John Cena says, while mild slapstick (it's thankfully limited to only a handful of appearances) never hits the right level of humour and the actual jokes made by the likes of Schumer, Hader et al don’t tend to land. Meanwhile, familial aspects of the film such as Brie Larson's character are lended to solely dramatic points, so they don't actually get a chance at proving their comedic worth. If anything funny works in this film, it's the film-within-a-film with a cameoing Daniel Radcliffe as a dog walker.  

In her first lead role, Amy Schumer does do a good job at playing what I assume is an exaggerated version of herself. While there's very little depth into her character or why she even lives this lifestyle despite some form of forgettable explanation at the very beginning, her change of character following a single evening with Hader does raise a lot of questions as to why she's so quick with her decision to continue seeing him despite her mild adamance to begin with. There's no definable moment in which she actually grows a character – it just happens out of the blue. Meanwhile Hader has some level of charm to him but doesn't seem all that comfortable in the role of male love interest. He at least does have a good rapport with Schumer and even side character LeBron James who has certainly proven that basketball players can act (take notes, Michael Jordan from Space Jam!). Family members Larson and co. do what they can in the little they're offered; Swinton does fine in a unlikable role; Ezra Miller has a small role as an intern and is ultimately wasted; everyone's favourite North Korean dictator Randall Park is rehashing his performance from The Five Year Engagement; Vanessa Bayer is hard to pin down because she's all over the place; and the odd cameos from people who I imagine just walked onto the set during filming makes things so disjointed (hello Matthew Broderick!). 

Trainwreck isn't what the title suggests. It's hard to even justify it as being a comedy because of how little actual comedy there is to it. It's a lot more serious than it has any real need to be, and perhaps because of that it may be best for screenwriter Schumer to sticking to on-screen material unless she does more things like her sketch show. Because as a 125 minute feature with a single comedy storyline and a separate overdramatic B-plot, Trainwreck doesn't work all that well. It's a slow slog which may be better suited to be promoted as being a drama with comedic undertones. It's a valiant first attempt from Schumer, but better luck next time. 4/10.