by Jon Partridge
This summer, Amy Schumer swapped the standup stage for her first lead role in a feature, collaborating with director Judd Apatow (Knocked Up, Freaks and Geeks, The 40-Year Old Virgin) on a script that gave a hilarious and refreshing look at the messy life of a 30-something woman. If you were foolish or unlucky enough to miss the film on its release, its arrival on Blu-ray gives you a chance to correct that mistake.
Amy Townsend (Schumer) was taught by her father from an early age to avoid commitment and romantic entanglements. Now an adult, she has a writing job for a magazine, and a difficult relationship with her younger sister Kim (Brie Larson) who herself has a successful marriage and stepchild. She enjoys alcohol and sex, but not commitment. Amy is given her latest assignment from her editor (a barely recognizable Tilda Swinton) to profile the sports surgeon Dr. Aaron Conners (Bill Hader). What starts as a reluctant work assignments turns into a drunken night of passion and then, through Conners’ actions, the start of a something that forces Amy to reconsider her stance on relationships.
It’s hard to do something fresh and new in comedy and just as hard to do something predictable but genuinely funny. Trainwreck falls into the latter category. It unfolds exactly as you’d expect: this odd couple meet, a romance begins, it gets messed up and eventually things work out with an epiphany and ensuing grand gesture. But Trainwreck does it all so well and manages to evoke such laughs it doesn’t matter. What elevates things is a personal infusion coming from Schumer’s presence both as actor and writer. Her more risque brand of humor is peppered into the film and fused with something rather heartfelt, rooted by genuine performances and chemistry between her and Hader.
Where Trainwreck excels, aside from the comedy, is in taking a look at the current state of the 20/30-something generation. Disposable incomes are higher, choice is greater, people are getting married later (or not at all). Monogamy is a more fleeting idea. Amy embodies a lot of this but her only real problem is a refusal to grow up and enter another stage of her life. The “Trainwreck” of the title is never fully apparent and a little harsh a description of her character. She is portrayed as someone who drinks a little much, enjoys sex, and has an immense fear of commitment, something pretty normal these days and refreshing to be seen portrayed without any judgment. The roots of Amy’s issues are seeded from childhood from her father’s mantra “monogamy isn’t realistic”. She sees the domestication of her sister as an antithesis to her own freedom. This coupled with the decline in health of her father crafts much of the conflict in the film, as well as some of the more emotional moments. The ending is fitting, a realization of self-worth, a maturation, as well as taking ownership of her career and her love life. At a glace it’s a neat little bow at the end but really, we end on a transition for her. Satisfying, heartfelt and with a lot of laughs along the way.
As per usual Apatow shows off his talent in crafting a comedy of this type as well as his enduring ability to let things run about 15 minutes too long. That said, the run time gives plenty of space for supporting cast members to make an impression. John Cena is outstanding as Amy’s sexually confused boyfriend/not-boyfriend as is LeBron “counting the pennies” James. Other supporting players such as Ezra Miller, Vanessa Bayer,
and Norman Lloyd make an impression with little screentime. Tilda Swinton, barely recognisable under several inches of spray tan, shows yet another metamorphosis and why she is one of the great talents of our time, even if in this instance she is playing a shitty, self-absorbed magazine editor.
THE PACKAGE
Picture quality is good. Blacks are deep, colors pop, detail and texture are notable. No visible issues at all. Extras wise, the release is ridiculously well stuffed. First off, there’s a UV and DVD version included. There’s also an UNRATED second version of the film which is around 5 minutes longer and has several scenes running slightly longer than normal (think one or two jokes more thrown into each skit).
There’s a commentary with director Judd Apatow, writer/star Amy Schumer and associate producer Kim Caramele which offers both entertainment and insight into how the film came together. The Deleted Scenes and Extended/Alternate Scenes each run for over 45 minutes and the films trailers are also thrown in.
Featurettes include Secrets of the Wu where Method Man and comedy legend Norman Lloyd talk about the Wu Tang clan. Amusing and baffling by its addition. The Dogwalker is the whole version of the spoof art film glimpsed within Trainwreck featuring Daniel Radcliffe and Marissa Tomei. Line-O-Rama showcases some improv and alternate line work showcasing John Cena’s comedic chops in particular. A Gag Reel also adds further laughs.
Directing Athletes: A Blood Sport shows director Judd Apatow coaching the athletes involved in the film on how to act with some entertaining results. The Behind-The-Scenes featurette is a feature-length addition running nearly 90 minutes and as such covers a significant amount of detail about the production. Finally the Trainwreck Comedy Tour compiles over an hour and a half of footage from the cast criss-crossing the country on various promotional gigs. Some of it’s amusing but some gets a little repetitive.
tldr: A stonking amount of goodies squeezed into this release!
THE BOTTOM LINE
The romantic comedy tag can put people off but Trainwreck is a genuinely funny and insightful piece of filmmaking. It also stands as the perfect vehicle for Schumer’s considerable talents. As writer and star her devilish sense of humor permeates the film. For your money you’re getting one of the funniest films of the year as well as one of the best stuffed releases of the year. A no brainer purchase for fans of Schumer and comedy alike.
Trainwreck is available on DVD & Blu-ray November 10th.
