Trainwreck **** (2015, Amy Schumer, Bill Hader, Brie Larson, Tilda Swinton) – Movie Review

Amy Schumer wrecks the landscape with her naughty but nice laughs.

Amy Schumer plays Amy, a commitment-phobic woman brought up by her bad dad to believe that monogamy isn’t realistic. In between being as promiscuous and hard-drinking as possible, party-girl Amy improbably works as a writer on a magazine run by the eccentric, vulgar English woman Dianna (Tilda Swinton).

Just because Amy doesn’t like sports, the unpleasant Dianna gives her the job of interviewing a handsome, successful sports doctor named Aaron Conners (Bill Hader).

She finds him irresistible sexually, so they go back to his place. Afterwards, she doesn’t fancy staying over. But it turns out he’s as sweet and charming as he is successful, and could make her change her mind about men. Maybe. Or not. But only if she can stop listening to her old dad’s advice, and now he is in a home, with health issues.

Hader playing a sports doctor prompts funny extended star cameos from big-name athletes like LeBron James and Amar’e Stoudemire, both of whom are great. Brie Larson plays Amy’s puzzled chalk and cheese sister, sweetly.

That’s it, for over two hours of comedy, with a bit of sex movie, relationship and family drama and romcom thrown into the adult mix. Like its heroine, it’s got a tough exterior but a mushy, warm heart. That’s not too surprising as it’s also written by Schumer.

Her writing is uninhibited and raunchy. And, after a slow-burn start, the movie turns into something really amusing and then actually hilarious, despite some rambling, hit-and miss moments that it can take in its stride, thanks to the energised performances and Judd Apatow’s dynamic direction.

Schumer is a very funny woman, game for anything that raises a laugh, and keeps both herself and her character on the good side of sympathetic and appealing – just. Hader’s a bit more subtle. He plays it perfectly. He has exactly the right kind of hangdog, quirky charm that makes him seem Mr Right for the crazy, promiscuous lady.

An almost unrecognisable Swinton, surprisingly, goes full out for outrageously unsubtle laughs – and gets them!

Funny stuff. Happy to see Trainwreck 2 whenever they want to make it.

© Derek Winnert 2015 Movie Review

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