Trainwreck
21/08/15 Filed in: Cinema
We saw Trainwreck this week. I had seen Amy Schumer on the Graham Norton show and found her very funny. She was on the show because of the release of Trainwreck, which she wrote and in which she stars.
It's basically a romantic comedy and the admittedly small audience at the midday screening we attended was certainly predominantly female, two of whom left halfway through the film. I assume that they expected something different.
For a RomCom it doesn't start very romantically. Amy's character, who's also called Amy, is a non committing kind of girl who certainly doesn't seem to be looking for true love - just sex. This is the result of an indoctrination by her father that we witness at the very beginning of the film, although her sister seems to have survived it unscathed. If the Rom bit was missing at the start, the Com bit is full on from the off, and doesn't really let up.
Amy works as a feature writer for a magazine, her hard-headed boss, Dianna, being played brilliantly by Tilda Swinton, although I didn't actually recognise her and only realised it was her when the credits rolled. It's the typical American 'Media' office, or at least typical of the sort of office portrayed in films. I suppose offices like these do exist, where people sit around and propose outlandish ideas but are never seen actually doing any real work.
It's basically a romantic comedy and the admittedly small audience at the midday screening we attended was certainly predominantly female, two of whom left halfway through the film. I assume that they expected something different.
For a RomCom it doesn't start very romantically. Amy's character, who's also called Amy, is a non committing kind of girl who certainly doesn't seem to be looking for true love - just sex. This is the result of an indoctrination by her father that we witness at the very beginning of the film, although her sister seems to have survived it unscathed. If the Rom bit was missing at the start, the Com bit is full on from the off, and doesn't really let up.
Amy works as a feature writer for a magazine, her hard-headed boss, Dianna, being played brilliantly by Tilda Swinton, although I didn't actually recognise her and only realised it was her when the credits rolled. It's the typical American 'Media' office, or at least typical of the sort of office portrayed in films. I suppose offices like these do exist, where people sit around and propose outlandish ideas but are never seen actually doing any real work.
One of the team proposes a sports related article whereupon Amy expresses in no uncertain terms her total dislike of anything sports related. At this point Dianna, whose sole object in life seems to be to upset her staff, tells Amy that she will be doing the piece. She saw a 'different' angle coming from someone who detests the whole sporting scene.
This leads to Amy meeting Doctor Aaron Conners, a sports medicine specialist, whom she soon beds. But this being a RomCom, you will not be surprised to learn that this marks the beginning of something different in Amy's life.
And so the story develops with many more laughs along the way. There is of course a breaking up and a re-comming together, which is de rigueur for any RomCom.
Watch out for LeBron James, who was remarkably good as himself in the film, getting a bit irritated over the possibility of missing an episode of Downton Abbey - magic!
The verdict? Amy Schumer certainly didn't disappoint but at the end of the day it's just another RomCom - wholly predictable. It is a little more risqué than the average RomCom, and certainly stronger on the comedy than the romance. As such it's possibly more likely to be enjoyed by men than some of the more saccharin romantic slush.
This leads to Amy meeting Doctor Aaron Conners, a sports medicine specialist, whom she soon beds. But this being a RomCom, you will not be surprised to learn that this marks the beginning of something different in Amy's life.
And so the story develops with many more laughs along the way. There is of course a breaking up and a re-comming together, which is de rigueur for any RomCom.
Watch out for LeBron James, who was remarkably good as himself in the film, getting a bit irritated over the possibility of missing an episode of Downton Abbey - magic!
The verdict? Amy Schumer certainly didn't disappoint but at the end of the day it's just another RomCom - wholly predictable. It is a little more risqué than the average RomCom, and certainly stronger on the comedy than the romance. As such it's possibly more likely to be enjoyed by men than some of the more saccharin romantic slush.