Friday, July 17, 2015

 

Trainwreck

Trainwreck official site When it comes to sex in comedy, men often rightfully get the bad reputation for being raunchy and promiscuous. That perception is completely turned around in an often hilarious comedy "Trainwreck" (USA 2015 | 121 min.) in which women take charge both inside and outside of the bedroom. The film is directed by Judd Apatow who made racy comedies such as "Knocked Up" (2007). It's written and starred by rising stand-up comedian Amy Schumer who is known for her edgy jokes and her own show "Inside Amy Schumer" on Comedy Central. When they team up together, you should already have a pretty good sense about what's coming.

The film's amusing opening scene perfectly sets the tone of the film and shows where its protagonist Amy (Amy Schumer) is coming from—23 years ago, her father Gordon (Colin Quinn) efficiently explains to his two young daughters why he is getting a divorce: "Monogamy isn't realistic!" He surely has a point when he uses the girls' dolls as a metaphor.

Obviously, Amy takes that teaching to heart and goes after what's realistic. She drinks as much as the guys she has sex with and she sets herself a rule not to sleep over. Needless to say, unlike her sister Kim (Brie Larson), it's out of the question for Amy to commit to anyone. But that seems to suit her just fine as a writer for a men's magazine, called S'Nuff, which prints articles titled "What Your Phone Says About Your D**k" and "You're Not Gay, She's Boring."

That status quo begins to shake when she is given an assignment by her nutty and incredibly funny editor Dianna (Tilda Swinton). The task is to write a profile article about a sports doctor Aaron Conners (Bill Hader) who works with many celebrity athletes such as LeBron James and Amar'e Stoudemire who play themselves in the film. Soon after they meet, and have sex of course, Aaron falls for her. While she keeps asking why Aaron loves her, she has to figure out if she should bend the rule to commit to a relationship.

Trainwreck Official Site

It's truly refreshing to see such an original and bold female lead character that takes charge both in bed and in the story. Unlike many comedies that revolve around sex, it's men who are the underdog in this film and appear to be vulnerable for sexual exploitation. Despite plenty of sex scenes in the film, you don't see a single shot of a woman's fully naked body. But when a fully naked man's body is both awkwardly and amusingly displayed, you feel the power that Amy possesses. That power is perhaps something she is afraid that she may lose if she changes her behavior and commits herself to a monogamous relationship.

There are numerous famous actors, athletes, and TV personalities appearing in the film to provide more entertaining value in addition to those lively characters and hilarious one-liners. But toward the second half of the film, the plot becomes formulaic and jokes begin to lose their steam. It starts to fall inro the trap of a romantic comedy despite the fact that being unromantic is supposed to be the soul of this film. But as soon as Tilda Swinton spits another line in her singular British accent, all flaws in the film are forgiven.

It's a fun ride after all, even though the film's title indicates otherwise.

"Trainwreck," a Universal Pictures release, opens on Friday, July 17, 2015.


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