I’d say that there is a pretty darn good chance that Trainwreck will go down as the funniest movie of 2015. There doesn’t appear to be a ton of comedies this year, and the one that I was most excited for (Vacation) looks like it’s going to be a dud. Usually, the great comedies of the year are released before September 1st. I have no evidence that backs up this claim, but it seems like the good movies reserved for the later portions of the year are the Oscar contenders. It doesn’t mean that there aren’t comedies released in October, November, and December, but it seems like there are average more often than not. I guess what I am implying here is that the funniest movies of the year have probably already been released and that Trainwreck seems to be the most amusing of that group. I often mention in my movie blog of the year 2010, which, I believe, is the best movie year in my lifetime. However, there wasn’t that one hilarious comedy you remember from that year. For me, the funniest movie that year was Get Him to the Greek, but that movie had nothing on Trainwreck. Had it been released in 2010, Trainwreck would have made the year that much better.
Schumer stars as Amy, a feature writer for a men’s magazine called S’nuff. Her boss Dianna (Tilda Swinton – Snowpiercer, We Need to Talk About Kevin), is a ruthless boss who cares about nothing more than the bottom line. She’s got a couple of crude male co-workers along with Nikki (Vanessa Bayer – Despicable Me 2, television’s Saturday Night Live), who is also one of her best friends. Though she knows absolutely nothing about sports, she has been assigned to research an article about Aaron Conners (Bill Hader – The Skeleton Twins, Adventureland), a sports doctor doing some cutting edge surgeries to help athletes extend their careers. Among the athletes who have very, very strong guest performances are John Cena, Amare Stoudemire, and, the best of the bunch, THE Lebron James. Amy, who despises sport, is assigned the article even though a co-worker pitched it. But, again, this is just Dianna being Dianna.
Things are okay with Amy at work. She’s not at a company she’s overly excited to be working at, but it affords her a lifestyle that allows her to be content. Plus, despite her feelings towards the firm she works for, there is room for advancement. Outside of work, though, Amy is a bit of a trainwreck. She has a boyfriend, Steven (WWE’s John Cena), the one athlete in this movie who does not pay himself but rather a version of himself. He’s head over heels for her, but she has random encounters with men she just met all the time. Her one rule is not to stay overnight. She’s a girl who likes to have fun. So when Steven finds out, she doesn’t apologize but instead breaks up with him. She has a sister named Kim (Brie Larson – Rampart, 21 Jump Street), who has the life that Amy wishes that she wanted. Kim has a husband and a stepson. Amy does her best to pretend that she likes both males, but I think she wishes she could be like them. Unfortunately, people her age are growing up, and Amy isn’t. She’s content with her life, but I think she wishes she was more like everyone deep down inside.
Schumer is terrific, as is Hader. Colin Quinn (television’s Saturday Night Live, television’s Last Comic Standing) embraces his role as Amy and Kim’s aging father. He crushes the movie’s first scene (it’s a flashback) and is a consistent source of humor throughout the film. Famous basketball player Amare Stoudemire is also great in the movie. He plays himself and is one of Aaron’s patients scheduled to go under the knife. But it’s Lebron James who steals the scenes in this movie. In terms of being a polished actor, he’s not quite there. But Lebron is personable, and he is funny. He plays one of Aaron’s patients and one of his good friends. The pals play one-on-one basketball, text each other, and coach each other up. This is much more than a cameo for Lebron. He’s in a good 10-15 scenes, and he’s great (even at times where you can tell he’s trying a little too hard) in all of them. The movie didn’t succeed because of him, but it did make it even more enjoyable. His Q Score just went through the roof because of this movie. And I thought it was great that he continued showing how important Cleveland was to him in this movie, just like he does in real life.
Plot 9/10
Character Development 8.5/10
Character Chemistry 8.5/10
Acting 8.5/10
Screenplay 8/10
Directing 8/10
Cinematography 8/10
Sound 8.5/10 (Music was a big part of this movie, but outside of Billy Joel’s Uptown Girl, it wasn’t as memorable as I expected it to be)
Hook and Reel 9/10 (I LOVE when comedies have a hilarious first scene. Ones that come to mind are American Pie and There’s Something About Mary)
Universal Relevance 9.5/10 (We’re all looking for love in one way or the other…we all have self-doubt in one way or the other)
85.5%
Movies You Might Like If You Liked This Movie
- Bridget Jones’s Diary
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- How To Be Single
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