TRAINWRECK dvd

When a stand-up comedian makes the leap to the big screen, they often bring transfer their on-stage persona to their cinema character.  This is certainly the case with Trainwreck, a romantic comedy written by and starring Amy Schumer and directed by Judd Apatow.

As a little kid, Amy Townsend was told by her father Gordon (Colin Quinn) that "monogamy isn't realistic."  She took that message to heart, and the adult Amy (Amy Schumer) dates muscular, possibly-closeted Steven (John Cena) while also having lots of one-night stands, with her golden rule being never spending the night.  The rest of her life is equally self-serving, as she drinks and does drugs with almost impressive frequency.  And her relationships tend to consist of making snarky comments about others, whether giving her sister Kim (Brie Larson) grief about her nerdy stepson or gossiping at a Maxim-type magazine called S'Nuff with her friend Nikki (Vanessa Bayer).

Amy gets a job assignment from her steamroller of a boss Dianna (Tilda Swinton) to do an article on sports doctor Aaron Conners (Will Forte).  She's picked to do the article because she knows nothing about sports except that she thinks it's stupid.  But Aaron is almost the polar opposite of Amy: He's selfless (works for Doctors without Borders), believes sports builds a sense of community (and allows for cameos by assorted sports stars, notably and amusingly LeBron James), and is pretty square (listening to Billy Joel's "Uptown Girl" during surgery.).

This movie being a rom-com, Amy and Aaron wind up in bed together pretty quickly.  But she's not ready for things when he says he wants a relationship and treats her well.  And he may not be ready for all her selfishness, sexual history, and attempts to end the relationship.  And for drama, there's a subplot about  Amy and Kim dealing with their father's MS and putting him in an assisted living home.

 Much as I liked the cast of Trainwreck, it's very familiar terrain for a rom-com.  Amy Schumer plays the same character she's made for herself doing stand up -- fairly selfish, racist, party girl, and substance abuser -- and at least one joke was moved straight from her routine into the movie.  Bill Hader is good as an almost-too-nice guy, and the two leads have good chemistry.  Unfortunately there's nothing new here, and director Judd Apatow doesn't elevate the material past a typical romantic comedy.  Trainwreck is cute in a frequently offensive way, and there are plenty of chuckles through the movie, but the end result is neither original nor hysterical.  (DVD extras are plenty, including interviews, deleted scenes, and a gag reel.)

Overall grade: C+

Reviewed by James Lynch