I have been a fan of Amy Schumer’s for a while, due to her TV show Inside Amy Schumer and, more recently her hilarious speech at the Glamour Awards where, upon receiving the Trailblazer of the Year Award she announced “I’m 160lb and I can catch a dick any time I want!” to raucous laughter and applause. So I was excited to be invited to the press screening of her new film Trainwreck.
Sassy and sexy she often refers to how she is not an identikit size zero collagen lipped Hollywood stereotype and this is one of the reasons I adore her. I was dubious about the fact that this movie was directed by Judd Apatow as one of my least favourite films Knocked Up had very weak, lazily written female characters – as star Katherine Heigl has stated since in interviews.
As soon as Trainwreck begins there are jokes from the outset, setting up the premise of Amy as a wild living, promiscuous, hard drinking commitment-phobic hedonist by taking us back to her childhood and the moment her father explained his divorce from her mother using dolls to illustrate why a person might want to play with more than one ‘doll’ for the rest of their life. He teaches his daughters the mantra “Monogamy isn’t realistic.” Something only one of them, Amy, appears to take to heart.
We see this as Amy has to undertake the ‘walk of shame’ in last night’s clothes via the Staten Island Ferry. A similar opening scene to Bridesmaids but the comparisons should end there as Amy’s character is so very different to that of Kirsten Wiig’s Annie, who wants intimacy and commitment, while our Amy runs for the hills at any sign of closeness or that a man would actually like her.
Our heroine works for a lads magazine S’nuff headed by abrasive Tilda Swinton (doing an incredible impression of Gillian Taylforth), after a very funny pitching meeting Amy – having offended her fellow writers with her thoughts on sports fans (this woman has no filter) – ends up being tasked with interviewing a surgeon, Aaron who is making waves in the sports world with his success in operations that save sports stars careers. Amy tries her usual moves with unexpected results, when Aaron calls her the following day Amy and her colleague are alarmed: “He’s calling me? But we had sex last night, what is he doing?” “I’m calling the police!”
This film is not pandering to any PC rules and Amy does not conform to social etiquette. A female Larry David perhaps. The gags are so quick-fire I daren’t look away from the screen and miss a cheeky facial expression or comic aside. No aspect of sex is too base for Amy to joke about – from cringe-worthy amateur dirty talk to sleeping positions and very frank descriptions of “dealbreakers” in relationships.
The excellent supporting cast, including Bill Hader from Saturday Night Live as Amy’s main love interest Aaron and basketball star LeBron James as super sensitive best friend of Aaron make this an ensemble comedy, despite Amy being the star.
The gender stereotypes of the men being relaxed and aloof in the beginnings of a new relationship is turned on its head here, as it is the boys who have the ‘talk’ over lunch to analyse the ‘lovemaking’ while the girls are appalled over him calling the girl ON PURPOSE after their one-night-stand. At one point Le Bron confronts Amy and asks what her intentions are to his friend. If he had his own sitcom I would definitely put that on series link.
This film is not just dick jokes and shag-mirth, the subplot involving Amy’s father has some truly moving moments showcasing Schumer’s acting talents and I have to say the best Drunkacting(tm) I have enjoyed since Sue Ellen Ewing.
This movie has heart, truth, great characters and huge, belly busting, tit-wobbling laughs. A good date movie if you are considering sleeping with your date for the first time, you can hint and nudge at the pertinent moments of what not to do when seducing a beautiful, not quite size zero, woman who can catch a dick anytime she wants.
Trainwreck is released in UK theatres on 28th August
