Trainwreck (2015)

I don’t normally go for comedies. They are almost always disappointing, But something about the combination of Judd Apatow, Bill Hader, and the seemingly more realistic representation of a modern day 20-something woman appealed to me. Trainwreck is directed by Apatow and written by suddenly super popular comedian Amy Schumer.
I’ve met Trainwrecks. Some of my best friends are Trainwrecks. I myself am not one, but I found the story of a commitment phobic young woman still relatable. I really enjoyed the small moments in the film, where the characters are talking about random stuff instead of anything that progresses the plot. Amy is funny in a way that manages to appeal to both men and women. She also turns out to be a pretty good actress, handling both the funny scenes as well as the more emotional ones.

Please go away Lebron, that’s enough.

I laughed until I almost cried at the John Cena moments. He was hilarious and had good comedic timing. Tilda Swinton is great, but severely under utilized. The other big cameo, Lebron James, was nowhere near as successful for me. It was quite evident that Lebron is not an actor. And his scenes seemed to drag on and on (that Cleveland scene was not funny nor was the useless ‘intervention’). Bill Hader did well, but I was disappointed with him more so because of the script. He is a very funny guy, but in this film he has nothing to do. I know it’s Amy’s movie, but more from him would have made it funnier.

What I really didn’t like about the film was the message it seemed to impart. The message is that women are supposed to get married and have kids and if they don’t they are weird. Which seems strangely divergent from a lot of Amy’s jokes. Amy (it’s quite convenient that her character in the film shares her name) often makes fun of her sister and her perfect family life. But by the end of the film, when Amy changes her ways and becomes a cheerleader for Aaron (Bill Hader) it becomes obvious that motherhood/marriage is the only acceptable path for a woman. My boyfriend said the cheerleader scene is supposed to be about Amy proving she can take risks in order to be with Aaron. And this is true, but I don’t like the implication that because Amy wasn’t focused on pleasing a man and being a mother before that somehow she was a failure and broken. Amy seemed to have it pretty good, a good job and doing whatever she wanted. I think it’s good that the character grows and matures, but I think it is for the wrong reasons.
Trainwreck is better than most comedies, but it’s far from perfect. Trainwreck gets 7 John Cena asses out of 10.