'Trainwreck' review by Jake Boyle
Despite the brilliant works he's helped bring to the screen through his prolific production work, I'd contend that Judd Apatow does not have a strong record when it comes to directing. The 40-Year-Old Virgin was decent, but Funny People remains one of the most spectacular failures I've ever seen, and the self-pitying suburban dramedy of This Is 40 didn't fair a whole lot better. Handing writing duties over to comedy's fastest-rising star would be a step in the right direction, but I still have my reservations about Amy Schumer too - undoubtedly admirable social commentary, but too often underpinned by a solitary joke, or even less.
Amy Schumer proves to be a solid, grounding lead in a film that spends much of its first hour floundering. While there are some brilliantly funny scenes (most of which feature John Cena and Lebron James beautifully playing against their image), there are an equal number of scenes that feel underwritten or just fail to land - great concepts such as Daniel Radcliffe's film-within-a-film about an overly serious dogwalker, or a group of acidic journalists spitballing the most obnoxious concepts for articles possible all come to nothing, but Schumer possesses enough charm in both her acting and writing that these moments merely stall momentum instead of causing frustration. Curiously for a romantic comedy (even one self-consciously attempting to distance itself from the genre), there's not an abundance of chemistry between Schumer and Bill Hader, to the extent that the film has to rely on a voiceover to describe them falling in love because otherwise it wasn't really clear.
Romantic comedies have a typical formula to them, and where Trainwreck really excels is not by differing from it, but by simply being much better at it. The requisite second act break-up is portrayed with a genuine sense of hurt and dismay among the humour, and the equally essential romantic gesture to win their love back is as sweet as any Katherine Heigl or John Hughes film, and wonderfully completes Amy's character arc. For once, Apatow succeeds in his search for meaningful drama amid lewd jokes and celebrity cameos (the former of which are done smartly here, the latter being mostly pointless), and it's the few bittersweet scenes detailing Amy's complicated relationship with her family that cause the most captivation. It's at this point that the comedy also improves, or at least becomes more consistent, because with a more concrete story in play and the emotional investment ramped up, the occasional lapses in humour don't feel as obtrusive or unintentional, and the jokes that do land feel much stronger due to the juxtaposition against a slightly more serious backdrop. Previous annoyances also start to redeem themselves during this period - Hader and Schumer are more convincing in their affections for another, and Ezra Miller spends most of the film being utterly pointless but becomes worth all the unnecessary screentime in a hilarious scene that showcases better than anything else Schumer's mastery of the awkward and uncomfortable whilst still being watchable.
Trainwreck struggles to take off in its first half and could do with condensing a lot of the earlier material - although nothing that features Cena or Lebron, just so we're clear. It still has its moments and provides adequate set-up for a more enjoyable second hour that impresses with some added weightiness and crafting something new and invigorating within the parameters of familiar archetypes. It's not an exceptional movie but it's a definite step in the right direction for Apatow, a promising debut as a lead actress and scriptwriter for Schumer, and overall a beneficial thing to exist in the same universe as.
Despite the brilliant works he's helped bring to the screen through his prolific production work, I'd contend that Judd Apatow does not have a strong record when it comes to directing. The 40-Year-Old Virgin was decent, but Funny People remains one of the most spectacular failures I've ever seen, and the self-pitying suburban dramedy of This Is 40 didn't fair a whole lot better. Handing writing duties over to comedy's fastest-rising star would be a step in the right direction, but I still have my reservations about Amy Schumer too - undoubtedly admirable social commentary, but too often underpinned by a solitary joke, or even less.
Amy Schumer proves to be a solid, grounding lead in a film that spends much of its first hour floundering. While there are some brilliantly funny scenes (most of which feature John Cena and Lebron James beautifully playing against their image), there are an equal number of scenes that feel underwritten or just fail to land - great concepts such as Daniel Radcliffe's film-within-a-film about an overly serious dogwalker, or a group of acidic journalists spitballing the most obnoxious concepts for articles possible all come to nothing, but Schumer possesses enough charm in both her acting and writing that these moments merely stall momentum instead of causing frustration. Curiously for a romantic comedy (even one self-consciously attempting to distance itself from the genre), there's not an abundance of chemistry between Schumer and Bill Hader, to the extent that the film has to rely on a voiceover to describe them falling in love because otherwise it wasn't really clear.
Romantic comedies have a typical formula to them, and where Trainwreck really excels is not by differing from it, but by simply being much better at it. The requisite second act break-up is portrayed with a genuine sense of hurt and dismay among the humour, and the equally essential romantic gesture to win their love back is as sweet as any Katherine Heigl or John Hughes film, and wonderfully completes Amy's character arc. For once, Apatow succeeds in his search for meaningful drama amid lewd jokes and celebrity cameos (the former of which are done smartly here, the latter being mostly pointless), and it's the few bittersweet scenes detailing Amy's complicated relationship with her family that cause the most captivation. It's at this point that the comedy also improves, or at least becomes more consistent, because with a more concrete story in play and the emotional investment ramped up, the occasional lapses in humour don't feel as obtrusive or unintentional, and the jokes that do land feel much stronger due to the juxtaposition against a slightly more serious backdrop. Previous annoyances also start to redeem themselves during this period - Hader and Schumer are more convincing in their affections for another, and Ezra Miller spends most of the film being utterly pointless but becomes worth all the unnecessary screentime in a hilarious scene that showcases better than anything else Schumer's mastery of the awkward and uncomfortable whilst still being watchable.
Trainwreck struggles to take off in its first half and could do with condensing a lot of the earlier material - although nothing that features Cena or Lebron, just so we're clear. It still has its moments and provides adequate set-up for a more enjoyable second hour that impresses with some added weightiness and crafting something new and invigorating within the parameters of familiar archetypes. It's not an exceptional movie but it's a definite step in the right direction for Apatow, a promising debut as a lead actress and scriptwriter for Schumer, and overall a beneficial thing to exist in the same universe as.
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