Trainwreck

This movie was a nasty, wildly inventive 1 hour, 45 minute film that lasted a tragic 2 hours and 5 minutes.

The good news about Director Judd Apatow’s Trainwreck is that you get the pleasure of watching Amy Schumer display her caustic wit and satirical charm. The bad news is that the film’s title reflects an ending that sucked the life out of Ms. Schumer, robbing her of the courage of her convictions.

With a screenplay from Ms. Schumer, we see her character, also known as Amy, approach life as if there was nothing more demanding than taking out your garbage. She embraces a life filled with booze and one-night stands, and she has no apologies to offer to anyone. She represents feminism’s Anti-Christ, and she rejects nearly all of society’s standards with the exception of her taste for upscale attire.

Working for a magazine that seems to be a combination of The National Enquirer and Vanity Fair, she is assigned to do an interview with a physician who treats prominent professional athletes. That doctor is played by Bill Hader, and their relationship forms the center of the movie around which everything else rotates.

At the film’s best, we see a young woman who knows nothing about sports who ends up meeting Hader’s best known client, LeBron James. Other than a scene that reflects the film’s messy conclusion, he is hysterical at every turn. In particular, watch for the scene where Hader is forced to pay for their lunch when LeBron “discovers” that he has left his wallet at home. You will county yourself as a LeBron fan the moment you leave the theater.

Tilda Swinton is once again magnificent, here playing Amy’s heartless boss. As demonstrated by her role as a vampire in Only Lovers Left Alive (2015) and the aging, eccentric woman in The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), there are few actresses who can match her artistic range.

In addition, I also have to mention Ms. Brie Larson, who plays Amy’s married, pregnant sister. Here, Ms. Larson eagerly embraces the very traditions of life that Amy rejects. This is another talented actress, and it is worth noting her compelling roles in Short Term 12 and The Spectacular Now both out in 2013.

Amy’s father, Gordon (Colin Quinn), is largely responsible for her committed rejection of monogamy, and he plays a significant role in this film for reasons that remain unclear. Committed to a nursing home, Mr. Apatow presents no clear reason why anyone should remotely care for this wretched SOB. Yet you had to admire Amy’s moving tribute to this wretched soul at his funeral.

Mr. Hader holds his own as a man falling in love with Amy, but that is hard to understand given the fact that she resembles her father in many unfortunate ways. Regardless, the regrettable ending reflects a woman who suddenly morphed from one of the witches in Macbeth into June Cleaver, and you leave the theater bemoaning Apatow’s decision to sell out while still laughing at many of the film’s great moments.