Friday, July 24, 2015

Film: Trainwreck








GENRE: Comedy
RATING: R for strong sexual content, nudity & language
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 5 minutes
STARRING: Amy Schumer (Inside Amy Schumer)
Bill Hader (SNL, Inside Out); Brie Larson (21 Jump Street, Don Jon)
DIRECTOR: Judd Apatow (40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up)
WRITER: Amy Schumer (Inside Amy Schumer)
PLOT: A commitment-phobic writer falls for the subject of her magazine piece and realizes she may have to make some changes.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS:
1 Schumer wrote a very funny film. One of the things I love most about it is taking the cliché rom-com and flipping it around. This time it’s the horny girl who needs to grow up and win back the guy. And there are plenty of laugh out loud scene throughout.
2 Be prepared for Schumer’s brand of comedy, it is pretty raunchy and sex-driven at times. Watch an episode of Inside Amy Schumer to a glimpse into her style. The whole film is not like that but there are definitely some uncomfortable scenarios.
3 Schumer is fantastic, she is definitely one of the funniest women out there right now. I also loved seeing Hader get to be funny but more importantly a leading man instead of a sidekick. He is equally fun to watch.
4 Not a basketball fan, but LeBron James is hilarious. He steals almost every scene he is in. His friendship with Hader’s character is a treat. LeBron is so sincere and caring and will definitely make you laugh.
5 My biggest criticism is the same one that affects all of Judd Apatow’s films: it’s too long. This film should be 30 minutes shorter. Scenes involving the father and the bizarre intervention are not necessary for the plot, a good director should know when to edit things out. I can tell that Apatow always wants to give lots of time to family dynamics and emotional growth in the last 45 minutes of the film before returning to a funny conclusion. He needs to learn to streamline these things. Thankfully, the ending of this film is downright awesome.  

RECOMMENDATION: Probably wait for DVD
UPCOMING REVIEWS: Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation

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