Trainwreck review

I’ll be honest, I wasn’t an Amy Schumer fan coming in to see “Trainwreck.” All I know about her is that sex is a big topic in her act. The thing that made me go see it was LeBron James. Being the LeBron fan that I am, I had to see his acting debut. It was well worth it because I enjoyed his role and the movie.

Schumer stars as Amy, a reporter for a popular magazine in New York City. She’s the fun loving, promiscuous, partial alcoholic and casual pot smoking bachelorette foil to her straight laced and married sister, Kim played by Brie Larson. The story begins when Amy’s aggressive editor/boss assigns her to interview big time sports doctor Aaron Conners played by Bill Hader.

I’m not sure if Amy Schumer is really a sports fan, but the sports inclusion to the plot really helped me stay interested. That may make me sound like a typical guy but it’s the truth. With a little under a half hour of screen time, LeBron proved to be a pretty good comedic actor. I wouldn’t mind seeing him in more flicks. Especially if he quotes Kanye again. That put the biggest smile on my face.

Besides LeBron, “Trainwreck” has lots of funny supporting cast members and cameos. John Cena was great in the short time he was there and I loved Marv Albert’s appearance. Randall Park was funny as always. Brie Larson—who I’ve been seeing a lot of lately—and Amy Schumer make great onscreen sisters and it was great seeing stand-up comedians Mike Birbiglia, Leslie Jones, and Pete Davidson bring laughs. Method Man’s cameo was also a plus. Nobody can deny Amy Schumer’s writing talents. She’s definitely a student of Woody Allen and the references to his works are clear as day: the main character is a writer based in New York City, there was a lot of NYC landscape porn, the popular bridge scene from Manhattan was sort of referenced, and “Rhapsody in Blue” was played.   

It’s become a well-known signature for Judd Apatow films to be funny but too long. No comedy should be 2 hours long; especially a Rom-com. A little over halfway into the movie my friends were more amused with breaking news of Ty Lawson going to the Houston Rockets. I could’ve done without the awkward, intern sex scene. His character was completely useless. The gay jokes were a bit much. I didn’t need to see John Cena’s ass or buddy’s in the beginning.

This movie was well worth the full price. It’s a smart, hilarious flick with a female lead. It doesn’t hit you over the head with femininity—I’m not even sure if this passed the Bechdel test—and it’s not overly sexual. Amy isn’t meant to be America’s Sweetheart and she isn’t meant to repulse you either. She’s amusing. Kind of like a blend of Elaine Bennes from Seinfeld, Carrie from Sex and City and an emotionally scrambled female character. After seeing this I think I’ll look into more of Schumer’s stuff. I give “Trainwreck” 4 out of 5 stars.