Movie Review: Trainwreck

 Romantic comedies have a time-tested formula that is rarely strayed from. Anyone who's seen more than a handful of movies in their lifetimes knows that these films typically shake out like. Step 1: The main couple is brought together through seemingly random circumstances. Step 2: They gradually become attracted to each other. Step 3: They go on some cutesy dates and fall madly in love. Step 4: Some minor adversity ruins their blissful relationship and the couple proceeds to break up. Step 5: After some time apart, they reconcile after realizing that they simply can't live without each other. As the credits roll, everyone leaves the theater filled with joy and remains hopeful that they can someday find a relationship as perfect as the one they just witnessed on-screen. Now enter Trainwreck, the  long awaited big-screen debut from rising comedy star Amy Schumer that serves as a giant middle finger to the Hollywood's romantic comedy conventions by shattering the illusion that perfect relationships exist.

Amy (Schumer) is a New Yorker in her early 30's who lives life by her own set of rules. She spends her days writing low-brow pieces for a men's magazine and nights partying and engaging in one night stand's. Her open, carefree lifestyle is suddenly threatened after her editor (a completely unrecognizable Tilda Swinton) assigns her to a write a piece on a high-profile sports doctor Aaron Connors (Bill Hader) in the city. After hitting it off with him in their initial interview, Amy tries to rebuff his advances, but Connors' easygoing demeanor and genuinely caring personality proves to be enough to get Amy to give a serious relationship a try. Will Amy's old habits rear their ugly head again or will Amy and Aaron enjoy a blissful, adversity-free courtship? Since every film narrative needs to have some kind of stakes to keep audiences invested in the characters, I think you all know the answer to this question.

Trainwreck may have the inevitable happy ending of a traditional romantic comedy, but how it gets there is completely unexpected and fresh. Schumer, who also penned the script, doesn't buy into schmaltzy fairy-tale romances. The characters she puts on screen (particularly hers) are very flawed and the film enters some some seriously dark territory at times. Even when Amy starts to shed her fear of commitment and the relationship between her and Dr. Connors starts to flourish, Schumer never lets the film enter predictably sweet territory. The arguments that unravel their relationship have some serious bite and Amy's reservations about being emotionally-attached to another human being keep their relationship from ever reaching the inauthentic level of happiness that couples in most romantic comedies do.

While love ultimately wins out in the end, Trainwreck is a sharp, honest commentary on the nature of relationships in the present day. People in their 20' and 30's largely prefer one-night stands and strictly physical relationships instead of actually committing to a long-term relationship. Schumer perfectly illustrates through her character how terrifying the concept of settling down and getting emotionally invested in another person can be when you're young and still trying to find your place in the world. The strongest aspect of Schumer's comedy is how forthcoming and accurate she is about issues people of her generation face and that skill carries over beautifully to her first big-screen project. 

Of course between all the intelligent commentary on modern relationships and surprising dramatic heft, Trainwreck also happens to an absolutely hilarious movie. Schumer's script fires jokes at a machine gun-esque pace and there was a number of points in the film where I was laughing so hard that I missed the next few lines of dialogue. As Schumer has proved through her standup and 3 seasons of her Comedy Central series Inside Amy Schumer, she has incredible timing and can manufacture huge laughs every time she's on screen. Hader does similarly well in his first starring role in a major movie. While Hader's straight-laced character keeps a lot of the eccentricity that made him a regular scene stealer on Saturday Night Live and in his bit parts in films such as Superbad and Hot Rod, he proves that he's a more than capable leading man who's dramatic acting ability should not be slept on. While the quality of Schumer and Hader's performance aren't exactly surprising given their strong track records, the equally strong performances from the supporting cast very much are. NBA phenom LeBron James, WWE superstar John Cena and the typically stone-serious Swinton all kill their respective roles. The casting choices of James and Swinton in particular rose a lot of eyebrows when they were announced last summer, but anyone questioning why they got their parts should be silenced once they see how god damn funny they are in this movie. Trainwreck is a hysterical, brutally honest and shockingly emotional film that solidifies Schumer's status as one of the most important and intelligent voices in comedy right now.

4.5/5 Stars