Review of Trainwreck (2015) by Brad H — 31 Oct 2015

"You're not gorgeous but pretty..ish". A pretty accurate reflection of Amy Schumer which, combined with unapologetic sense of humour, distinguishes her as the relatable funny female figure on TV right now. Here she is given her chance to be at the helm of a Judd Apatow comedy in order to further increase her stardom. It is certainly not 'Superbad', nor is it super bad, but it is quite bad.

One of the biggest problems is the lack of genuinely funny supporting actors. Although Tilda Swinton and Ezra Miller produce some decent material in their scenes, the rest of them are bland, with John Cena and Lebron James, despite playing their characters with enthusiasm, showing that they should stick to their day jobs. In addition, the most talented comedic actor there (Bill Hader) had his creativity stifled by having to play a boring doctor.

'Trainwreck''s appeal comes from its empowering of women through the role reversal of Schumer being the 'player' who breaks guy's hearts and freely talks dirty about sex. Credit to her in conveying an honest interpretation of a modern sexually active female without coming across undignified or, to put it loosely, as a slut. However the comedy is all based around this idea of a women chatting promiscuously about sex and while it offers fresh appeal, it didn't prove all that funny. I felt how I usually feel when women chat raw about their bedroom experiences which is to be uncomfortable and then leave the room. Aside from one or two awkward scenes of foreplay, there was no real humorous scenarios written into the story. Schumer was naive to think her casual crude comments could sustain a two hour comedy and 'Trainwreck' suffered as a consequence.

So overall it was a surprisingly bland comedy for a Judd Apatow production and I did expect more from Amy Schumer but in similar fashion to 'Bridesmaids' I welcome that women may find the female dominated unconventional romance structure refreshing.