Trainwreck

Have you ever watched a film and just wished that it would have been...I don't know...a little bit more?

That's the way I felt with Trainwreck while and after watching it.

The combination of really solid early reviews, a funny string of trailers, and the ever growing popularity of Amy Schumer had me really looking forward to this one, probably more than I should have. Schumer has been taking the world by storm a bit lately, often showing up for interviews and taking control by putting the hosts in stiches (see Ellen's bit with her for proof of this). For good reason too. She's absolutely hilarious and her M.O. is a solid combination between train-of-thought wits and sad-truth realism, mostly specifically geared towards women. 

Trainwreck represents her first really "big" role and she's also the focal point of the film directed by Judd Apatow. Personally, I was expecting a bit more of a straightforward comedy from this one rather than the date movie that I found instead. I always talk about managing expectations when entering a film so maybe this was truly my fault and a misinterpretation of the trailers that I was seeing. I knew that it would have date movie elements throughout, but I suppose I expected to be laughing a bit more often than I did.

Schumer plays someone named Amy, coincidentally enough, who was taught by her father at a young age that "monogamy isn't realistic". Fast forward to her adult years and she is a borderline alcoholic pot-head who sleeps around and, despite what the trailers tell you, her job isn't all that sick, nor is her apartment. Truth be told, I rather disliked Amy (the character) for about 80% of the film's duration and was strongly considering adding it as a con, but luckily her character arc comes to completion and she, for lack of a better term, grows up. Schumer plays the role well and her dry wit is at play for much of the film's duration. There are a handful of jokes that fall flat, but from my recollection, not a single one belongs to Schumer who truly "nails it" here, even if the film isn't quite as solid as she is.

That's one way to look for nose hairs...

Sisterly tea party

Truth be told, pretty much all the participants in Trainwreck are great. Hader tones down the usual silliness and is incredibly charming as the main male character, really giving us someone to root for when Amy is being annoying. Amy's sister, played by the gorgeous and talented Brie Larson, is also a good grounding point as she is married with children. She represents what Amy is afraid to be, but Larson plays the role so effortlessly that it's easy for us to see how these sisters went down separate life paths. And I'd be completely lying if I didn't mention how John Cena and LeBron James steal almost every scene they're in here. Cena plays probably the film's wackiest character, but his gay insults (not what you think) are hilarious and his short screen time was one of the film's highlights for me. LeBron is equally as impressive and can actually do a decent job acting (or at least better than one would expect). He plays a caricature of himself, and you can tell he's having fun in the role.

From a comedic standpoint, Trainwreck is funny. I wouldn't say it's gut-bustingly hilarious, but when the jokes hit, they are some solid belly laughs. As I mentioned earlier, Schumer's delivery and one-liners are often brilliant and some bits of the rest of the script are also worth several laughs. But herein lies the issue, and it's a similar one that Ted 2 faced a few weeks back: the movie is too damn long. At 125 minutes, a date movie/comedy hybrid begins to enter the realm of over telling the story, and that's just what the film does. The last third of the film gets distinctly mopey (as always, no spoilers), but I felt as if it was dragging with its heels in the mud, trying to avoid getting to the clichéd ending. A solid 10-20 minute trim on this one could have still told the same story and kept the jokes flying in line, one right after the other.

King James can mean mug with the best of them...

And at the end of the day I think where Trainwreck disappoints me the most is that I really expected it to be something different. I was anticipating a date movie as funny as Knocked Up, or 40 Year Old Virgin, but I was also expecting somewhat of a "twist" on the genre as it was very clear that this was from the female perspective.

As the credits roll upward, you know that you've seen a "good" movie and one that you "enjoyed", but I can't help but feeling like what I wanted to see was something a little edgier, more daring, funnier, and different. As solid of a comedy/date movie as Trainwreck is, I'm not sure I would use some of those listed words to describe it, aside from funny.

CONS:

• Some jokes fall flat here and there
• The film is too long and spends too much time trying to wrap a pretty little bow on everything
• Doesn't take any risks or really change up the formula other than telling this story from the female perspective
• A bit disappointing, all things considered.

PROS:

• Schumer is a delight, even if her character sometimes isn't, and nails every line she delivers
• The rest of the cast is stellar
• Special mention to John Cena and LeBron James who try, and often succeed, steal every scene they're in
• Overall, the film is pretty funny and some of the jokes are downright hilarious
• Great date movie that would be enjoyable for both parties

Rath's Review Score: 7.5/10