Continuing the fantastic Summer season for females (Charlize Theron, Melissa McCarthy, Anna Kendrick) we have Amy Schumer branching off from her stand-up and television success (Comedy Central: Still Trying to Replace Dave Chappelle) to deliver a fine performance in an Apatow movie that has all the typical Apatow strengths and weaknesses. Just like Apatow's best, we have a delightful staff delivering the laughs and the dramatic undertones to make up for sloppy directing and loose editing that we've seen far too many times from the Team Apatow comedy circle.
We've seen this movie before, and we know the destination. Regardless of how raunchy or how off the PG-13 spectrum, romance movies carry the same formula and usually produce the same results (With 500 Days of Summer and Before Midnight being notable recent exceptions). We continue watching these because of the joy of said journey. Amy's voyage as she tries to shed her provocative past to become happy is a lengthy yet enjoyable watch, mostly because of her slick and slightly jagged sense of humor. This is her script and it has her brand of comedy sprinkled all over the place. Expect off-the-cusp movie references, uncomfortable content, good raw emotion, bite of New York flavor, and even some MacFarlane-like unpredictability.
Schumer has the comedic chops, and will earn your attention even when she is at her least charming. Helping the movie is Bill Hader, who played the perfect straight man getting caught up in Amy's whirlwind of a life. Although the cameos are a bit distracting (This Family Guy-like technique dates the movie slightly), LeBron James, John Cena, and a few others provided a surprising amount of laughs, with Cena being especially impressive in a short yet pivotal scene.
Apatow still lacks the ability to chop the movie to a more acceptable length. This has killed/damaged his recent efforts like This is 40 and Funny People (especially). Trainwreck once again has that slowdown period that has people checking their phones and watches, which especially hurts after a strong first half. And as previously stated, we know the destination, the journey has to maintain its interest. Despite the strongest efforts from everyone involved, it gets a little tiresome before the heartwarming finale. Unless the movie spans decades, no romantic comedy should run past two hours. All of the best romantic movies (Princess Bride, Eternal Sunshine, Beauty and the Beast, Before Sunset/Sunrise) run under two hours.
Yes, I know the gem Love Actually breaks the rule I just placed. Moving on....
Despite the flaws of time and distractions, Schumer does a great job in her debut cinematic vehicle. I can see a good future with her as long as she works with the right people and expands her range. She's funny, fearless, and has a nice dosage of New York charm. All of those ingredients make this an entertaining viewing and far better than Apatow's previous flicks. It won't shatter the movie industry or alter your perception of her or the genre, but it won't be a total disaster sitting through this---you'll find plenty to laugh and be shocked at.
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