‘Trainwreck’ provides laughs, strong character development

Original Release Date: July 17, 2015

Rating: R

The movie Trainwreck directed by Judd Apatow and starring Amy Schumer, Bill Hader is a constant stream of well-written comedy, but nothing less can be expected from today’s most famous comedians.

Trainwreck tells the story of a magazine editor, Amy, (Amy Schumer) with a fear of commitment who is assigned to write an article about an up-and-coming sports doctor, Aaron, (Bill Hader) despite her hatred for competitive physical activity.

During Aaron’s interview for her article in the magazine, they discover that they a mutual attraction and decide to continue their interview at a restaurant. Inevitably, they begin dating and everything seems to be going perfectly until they have to face obstacles including death and resorting back to bad habits, that causes their relationship to be stretched to its limits.

While the story line of Trainwreck is very similar to all other romantic comedies, it sets itself apart from the others through the amazing secondary characters who add quality comedy and intriguing plot twists. Some of the secondary characters include LeBron James who plays himself, Vanessa Bayer (SNL) who plays Amy’s female consult, Colin Quinn (SNL/Grown Ups) who plays Amy’s racist and wisecracking father, and Jon Glaser (Parks and Recreation) who plays another editor at Amy’s magazine. Each character adds a specific comedic angle that keeps Trainwreck new and hilarious.

While the secondary characters contribute a lot to the movie, the leads, are what make it something really special. Bill Hader’s background in Saturday Night Live and various other comedies has prepared him perfectly for this role. Although this is his first movie where he is featured as the romantic lead, and not the lead’s quirky best friend, he plays his role as if he has done it a hundred time before.

Amy Schumer’s sketch comedy show on Comedy Central, Inside Amy Schumer, and her various stand-up specials have prepared her to write the amazing screenplay for this movie, as well as star as the comedic lead.

Although Trainwreck is a great movie, a few improvements could have been made to make it just a bit better. A few of the background characters were unnecessary to the plot of the story and could have been cut from the movie completely, specifically John Cena. Recently, he has been in multiple movies where he has essentially played the exact same character, so if he was not in this romantic comedy, it would help make the film more believable and original.

Another character that was not necessary in the film was Gordon’s (Colin Quinn) friend in his nursing home, The role was uncredited and the character, portrayed by Tommy Bayiokos, made no impact on the plot in any way. The ending of Trainwreck is everything one could hope for in a romantic comedy. It includes a choreographed dance featuring the Knicks City dancers, and a hilarious resolution to an already hilarious movie. Everything came together for this film, from the incredible cast, to the detailed costumes and setting, making it a must see of the summer.