‘Trainwreck’ Review: Amy Schumer’s Brilliant—But Guess Who’s Better?

Amy Schumer plays a strictly no-strings-attached in the romance department, Manhattan journalist, who falls hard for a sports doctor
Mark Jackson
Updated:

A dad hilariously tries to convey to his two young daughters, perched on the hood of the family car, how it would be to have to play with only one doll for the rest of their lives—just one!

They agree that would be dreadful! And thus disingenuous dad bamboozles darling daughters into having an inkling of why he’s divorcing mommy. “Repeat after me: monogamy isn’t realistic!”

That’s Colin Quinn’s character, in the Judd Apatow-helmed, Amy Schumer-penned, “Trainwreck.” It’s a comedy tour-de-force, as well as a kitchen-sink acting-showcase gauntlet, thrown down by talent-laden TV sketch-show star Schumer, in her big screen debut.

But as much we’re happy see Judd Apatow directing more funniness, and immediately look forward to more Amy Schumer (we predict she and Melissa McCarthy will play sisters), even more so do we immediately want to see more LeBron James. More LeBron! The basket-balling-est individual of all time reveals himself to be hilarious.

Just Like Dad

All grown up now, Amy Townsend (Schumer) has become a self-centered, career-focused, staff writer at a high-gloss, low-class men’s magazine, where editorial staff sit around competitively pitching gross topics and headlines, and the barracuda-boss (an excellent, unrecognizable sprayed-on-tan-and-aqua-eyeshadow'd Tilda Swinton) champions the low and the lurid.

In her private life, Amy’s found that she, like her alcoholic dad, drinks too much, cannot be happy playing with just one (adult human) Ken-doll, or abusing just one substance. It’s not rated “R” for nothing.

Amy (Amy Schumer, L) has a meal with father Gordon (Colin Quinn) and sister Kim (Brie Larson) in "Trainwreck." (Courtesy of Universal Pictures/© 2015 Universal Studios)
Amy (Amy Schumer, L) has a meal with father Gordon (Colin Quinn) and sister Kim (Brie Larson) in "Trainwreck." Courtesy of Universal Pictures/© 2015 Universal Studios
Mark Jackson
Mark Jackson
Film Critic
Mark Jackson is the chief film critic for The Epoch Times. In addition to film, he enjoys martial arts, motorcycles, rock-climbing, qigong, and human rights activism. Jackson earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy from Williams College, followed by 20 years' experience as a New York professional actor. He narrated The Epoch Times audiobook "How the Specter of Communism is Ruling Our World," available on iTunes, Audible, and YouTube. Mark is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic.
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