Trainwreck

Synopsis: When a free-wheeling NYC magazine journalist (Amy Schumer) meets a nice square guy, Aaron (Bill Hader), she has to assess what she wants to do with her life.

True to its title Trainwreck opens by establishing its central character, Amy, as a dedicated party-girl. Inaugurating a familiar line in dick jokes it’s not a promising beginning but the good news is that this is only the departure point for a film  which has engaging characters and a story with a good deal of heart. Which is not to say that it is not formulaic but it is smart enough not to have one wishing five minutes in for the end credits to start rolling .

Writer and star Amy Schumer is a stand-up comic whose material revolves around being a modern single working female of the species. Like a younger, chubbier and less abrasive Joan Rivers nothing is too personal not to be fodder for a joke. This is very much the schtick she plays in Trainwreck but what gives the film appeal is that Schumer puts that persona under scrutiny. Despite the title this is not simply a gender-inverted comedy about girls behaving badly.  As a writer Schumer is clever-enough to realize that pathos is the underside of successful comedy and she balances the outrageous gags with moments of poignancy.

Thus the film contrasts Amy’s offensive brashness and shallow occupation for a tacky metrosexaul lifestyle  magazine called "S’Nuff" with Aaron’s sweetness and altruistic dedication to his medical career. Amy’s sister (Brie Larson) is a devoted suburban mother and wife, her sharp-tongued father, the obvious source of her humour and, as is established in a funny opening scene, her views on monogamy, has multiple sclerosis. Schumer mixes all this up with pop cultural references (including a spoof of Woody Allen’s classic, Manhattan), cameos from Marisa Tomei and Daniel Radcliffe along with  appearance by a couple of real-life basketball stars, Amar'e Stoudemire and LeBron James. An almost unrecognizable Tilda Swinton is fabulous as Amy’s bitch of a boss. 

Most of this works, some of it does not (notably a scene involving Matthew Broderick,Chris Evert and an American sports announcer, Marv Albert). There is also a conventionally uptempo musical finale which although quite winning in itself has nothing to do with the Amy character as portrayed .

It’s all a tad contrived and its frame of reference is very American but thanks to Schumer’s peppery humour, the solid performances and Apatow’s restrained helming, Trainwreck is a diverting-enough irreverently girl-centric rom-com (and oh my, how the genre has changed!).

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