Trainwreck

Trainwreck [2015] is the big screen acting and writing debut of the often lewd Amy Schumer. Her character, also named Amy (super original, right?), is a young, independent, and very sexual woman. She drinks, she gets high, she fools around, and she has no intention of stopping anytime soon. Well, until she meets a super nice sports doctor (Bill Hader) and uncharacteristically starts falling for him.

A genre reinvention? No, it absolutely is not. The main “gimmick” one could say is that the female lead is the sexually promiscuous one who falls for someone, rather than the male lead. That is about the extent of Trainwreck’s turning of rom-coms on their heads. While a lot of it is well-done, it has been done before, but the film thinks that it is breaking new ground here.

The problem with the lead. Amy Schumer is a much more relatable romantic comedy lead for a lot of people. However, there are a lot of people who really dislike her comedic style. Personally, I don’t hate her, I’m just not a huge fan. As a result, her character got annoying at times and kind of unlikable at others. Her male lead, Bill Hader, has no such issue. Hader, who usually goes super silly (see his character Stefon from SNL), plays the straight-man here and he does a wonderful job. He is super likable and is hard not to root for. At the film’s worst moments, it’s hard to see why he still likes Schumer’s character.

But is it funny? Well, yeah, it is pretty funny, thanks for asking. There are quite a few jokes that miss, but most of them land pretty well. Most of the supporting cast, including LeBron James and the new Flash Ezra Miller, have some hilarious moments while others, like Tilda Swinton, seem wasted. The film, directed by Judd Apatow, kind of drags on too long in familiar Apatow fashion but not nearly to the extent of some of his other films.