Last Friday, Nums and I dropped off the kids to my parents for the night, went out for sushi, and then saw Trainwreck (2015) at our local theater. Sushi was good, though I ordered way too many rolls. I’ve had a hankering for Japanese for a while, but it’s too expensive to get for lunch in Manhattan.
The theater was fairly empty on a Friday night, though I think it’s because the film has been out for a few weeks. I don’t want to give out too many details about the plot, but the film stars Amy Schumer and Bill Hader. There is a large supporting cast and interesting cameos — LeBron James, Allison Brie, Colin Quinn,Vanessa Bayer, Tim Meadows, Bridgett Everett, Amare Stoudemire, Tilda Swinton, etc. I liked the cameos as none of them felt plugged in for the sake of a cameo. When you see them, you’ll go “Hey nice that’s so-and-so. It’s nice to see them.”
Okay I can’t guarantee you’ll have the same reaction, but that’s how I felt.
The film starts with a flashback to when Amy and her sister (as young girls) are informed by their father (Colin Quinn) that the parents are getting divorced. And monogamy is basically stupid. Amy takes this life lesson to heart and becomes very…. liberated? She does a lot of partying and keeps no serious relationships. Her sister, on the other hand, ignored her father’s message and had a normal or traditional life (got married, is a loving stepmother, etc.)
Magazine writer Amy eventually gets an assignment to write a story about a sports doctor (Bill Hader) and starts to really get along with him, which throws her for a loop. Romantic comedy hijinks ensue. I was impressed by Amy Schumer’s acting ability, as I wasn’t expecting much more than the acting range necessary for a few comedy sketches strung together.
The film is different and yet the same. For a romantic comedy, it hits the usual plot points, but there’s a lot more raunchy humor than you would expect in a genre that normally caters to women. Even though it could easily have attempted to only be a raunchy comedy, it also tried hard for heart. I respect that, because you’re already elevating it past the Adam Sandler level of crap comedy.
Was it groundbreaking? No, but it’s an entertaining film to see on a date night. Go see it!
Trainwreck (2015)