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<\/p>\nHollywood, CA…\u201cDon\u2019t judge me, F@#$%ers,\u201d declares Amy Schumer via voiceover narration near the beginning of Trainwreck<\/i>, after adding yet another one-night stand to her countless others.<\/p>\n
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Not only does this rather blunt statement set the tone for the rest of the film, but it also asks moviegoers not to judge Ms. Schumer too harshly during her first foray onto the big screen. Schumer\u2019s been a well-known standup comedian for several years now, and her sketch show, the deliberately innuendo-sounding Inside Amy Schumer<\/i>, has been a hit on Comedy Central since 2013. The question is this: can Schumer\u2019s frank and often harsh type of humor translate into a feature length romantic comedy?<\/p>\n
The answer is yes\u2026for the most part. Trainwreck<\/i>, which Schumer wrote and partially based on her own life, succeeds mainly due to the strength of its cast and its direction under Judd Apatow, best know for his comedies such as Anchorman<\/i>, The 40-Year-Old Virgin<\/i>, and Bridesmaids<\/i>. While the main plot doesn\u2019t exactly break free of romantic comedy conventions, the cast has brilliant chemistry, and the scenes and characters are fresh enough that you can forget the fact that Trainwreck<\/i> is basically treading the same ground\u2014a sports based quirky love story\u2014as the 2005 Drew Barrymore film Fever Pitch<\/i>. It also helps that Trainwreck<\/i> is tremendously funny and even sweet at times.<\/p>\n
To the plot, then: having been instilled with the attitude that \u201cmonogamy is unrealistic\u201d by her father (Colin Quinn) as a young girl, Amy (here called Amy Townsend) has grown up into a human disaster living in New York. The film\u2019s title, as one can guess, refers to her: she sleeps around, drinks heavily, and mocks her sister (played by Brie Larson) for getting married and settling down. \u201cNever let them sleep over,\u201d she says of her male conquests. But when she\u2019s assigned a new article by her boss (Tilda Swinton, under layers of makeup and in full alpha bitch mode) at S\u2019nuff, a men\u2019s gossip magazine, she falls hard for Aaron Conners (Bill Hader), a squeaky-clean sports doctor.<\/p>\n
No prizes for guessing how things turn out. Amy\u2019s relationship goes through the expected twists and turns, but in a refreshing change for most romantic comedies, this time it\u2019s the woman who must overcome her massive series of personal problems and take the lead in the relationship. In fact, Hader\u2019s character is such a perfect white knight that viewers might almost expect him to mess up or break Amy\u2019s heart\u2014but he doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
Bill Hader is actually one of the core elements that make the film work. The former SNL cast member is known for playing crazy and quirky characters, but here that\u2019s Amy\u2019s job, and so Hader takes on the role of straight man to Amy\u2019s zany antics. It\u2019s surprising how well Hader does with dry wit and heart, and though a few scenes are written to let him act out, he really grounds the film and acts as the emotional center. Part of the drama is also owed to Colin Quinn, who\u2014while still funny\u2014is playing a more serious role as Amy\u2019s father. While his role isn\u2019t as big as Hader, he does a fine job.<\/p>\n
The rest of the cast rounds out the comedy bits. The unexpected addition turns out to be NBA superstar LeBron James, playing an exaggerated version of himself as a big brother type to Dr. Conners. While James might be relegated to a cameo in any other film, Trainwreck<\/i> utilizes him in several scenes, and his performance is consistently funny; he takes to comedy surprisingly well. Several other appearances and minor roles are also hilarious, including standup comic Kyle Dunnigan and SNL alum Tim Meadows. Additionally, there are quite a few cameos from other comics and sports figures, including Dave Attell and Vanessa Bayer (a current SNL staple). One highlight is wrestler John Cena as Amy\u2019s sometimes boyfriend towards the beginning of the film; Cena plays the role brilliantly and makes the earlier scenes some of the best. All of these characters, though, make each scene funny, and while it\u2019s slightly disappointing that the plot doesn\u2019t subvert romantic comedy conventions in a bigger way, the laughs never stop.<\/p>\n