We all have that one friend that didn’t get the memo that at some point we all age out of the party all the time lifestyle. You take great care not to judge this friend but legitimately worry about the consequences of their booze and drug filled nights. These people deserve love too and Trainwreck is the hilariously touching tale of how Amy Schumer’s self-destructive Amy Townsend comes to said realization. Schumer is on record that Trainwreck is “pretty autobiographical” and minus that knowledge it’s still plainly obvious that Amy Townsend is a fictionalized version of Schumer’s twenties and early-thirties. The film smacks of Farrelly Brothers films Shallow Hal and There’s something about Mary in that underneath the superficial veneer of broad comedy is a meaningful story with heart and fully realized characters with satisfying arcs. Schumer’s sister, played by Brie Larson, is a stepmom settled happily into marriage with an outwardly boring but responsible and loving husband. The sisters bicker over how to care for their aging and curmudgeonly father, played bitingly by Colin Quinn, himself a relentless drug abuser and retired womanizer (his character, not Quinn). Most of us have met these people and/or experienced our own versions of familial infighting. The character realism is the reason the jokes land and why Schumer was nominated for a bevy of writing awards for the original screenplay. Bill Hader is also a standout as the straight-man and love interest. While Trainwreck is an alcohol fueled “look how much dating sucks” raunch-fest on the surface and suffers from a third act far weaker than the preceding (a common trait in broad comedy films), Schumer/Hader have great chemistry and the razor-sharp dialogue of the ensemble cast is consistently laugh out loud funny. Lebron James is a scene-stealer and his scenes alone are worth the price of admission.
Trainwreck is an 8/10 for general audiences and a 9/10 if you ever got drunk in New York City and woke up in Long Island.
The Quick Critic
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