Trainwreck

In the beginning of my college years I did a lot of small things when dating that would be considered self-sabotage.  In my case, whenever a date cancelled or stood me up I was bitter.  When I was more invested in people than they were in me I was disappointed.  I never resolved to attempt to do such a technique as loving them and leaving them as such an action felt petty.  Loving them and leaving them is such is the case with stand-up comic Amy Schumer’s first screenplay and leading role for her film Trainwreck.   This film is the exact opposite of what the title itself suggests.

Trainwreck centers on a character named Amy (Amy Schumer) who is a serial dater which means she just dates and never commits.  Her failure to commit comes from the fact that Amy’s father told her and her sister that monogamy is not realistic.  The first person we see Amy with is a guy named Steven (John Cena) who is a muscle bound jug head whose only interest is himself.  Amy tells the audience that she only dates him because the sex was good.  The interactions between Steven and Amy are not only intriguing but also exceedingly funny because you can immediately tell how much more intelligent she is than Steven.  If you think all Amy does is sleep with people you’d be wrong.  Amy does have a respectable job as a writer for a men’s magazine.  Amy’s editor Dianna (Tilda Swinton) asks her to write on a young well respected doctor named Aaron (Bill Hader).  Amy agrees to meet with the doctor and the two end up sleeping together through a set of circumstances I cannot reveal but Amy breaks her main rule and begins dating the doctor.  What follows is Amy turning a corner realizing she may possibly be happy with someone and doesn’t have to run away.

The most innovative concept put forth in Trainwreck is really the blunt honesty permeating in the writing of Amy Schumer.  She wisely decides that the best approach to making this film work is to write based on her own experiences and by doing that I believe she has been monumentally successful.  Every snide comment or life observation she makes lands and it’s constructed like a well-crafted comedic set.  Never in the film did I pity Amy or wish she would change.  I wanted to see her decide things for herself and come to conclusions that felt good for her life.  Another positive I can give this film is that while Aaron and Amy are enjoyable to watch together, each of them has their own issues and quirks that make them fascinating on their own.  I was never bored when only one of the two leads was on screen they both kept my interest and made me curious about how they would progress as they lead their lives.

The other major strength of this comedy has to be the supporting cast.  NBA superstar LeBron James is a supporting play in Aaron’s life and anytime he is on screen he is a scene stealer.  His personality in the film seems to be that of a more exaggerated version of himself.  While the idea of someone playing an exaggerated version of themselves is not a new concept, in this particular instance it works because James essentially is only giving his opinion on the situations Aaron finds himself in and the opinions are logical conclusions to draw given the relationship between Aaron and Amy.  Another person I believe deserves some mention is Colin Quinn as Amy’s dad Gordon.  Gordon suffers from multiple sclerosis and it’s because of his performance that Trainwreck is more than just a comedy.  Through Gordon we realize his regrets of not being able to care for his children in the way he would have wanted to.  Amy’s best moments of performance come from her conversations with her father as she is navigating the dating scene and life in general.  Tilda Swinton is unrecognizable as Amy’s editor Dianna and her feisty and direct nature is a far cry from the fantastical or deeply withdraw characters she commits to.

Trainwreck could have very well been a complete disaster.  For my money, this is the biggest surprise of the summer.  Schumer should continue screenwriting because her truth on life and love is the levity many will be grateful for as all these blockbuster films come and go.