[yasr_overall_rating]
Having thought that monogamy was never possible, a commitment-phobic career woman may have to face her fears when she meets a good guy.
I enjoyed this film. It is your classic romantic comedy with the stereotypical “guy gets the girl” in the end. I think the premise of having the non-committal female versus the non-committal male is an attempt to make this a different sort of romantic comedy and it succeeds as far as laughs are concerned. However, there is nothing thought-provoking or deep about it that will make me ponder in days to come but it was a fun ride with some very funny people. And laughing is always good medicine.
Amy Townsend (Amy Schumer) is a free-spirited, wheeling and dealing sort of gal that has one-night-stands like nobody’s business. Drilled into her head at an early age by her pop (Colin Quinn) she follows in his footsteps and will have nothing to do with a traditional relationship. On the other hand, her sister, Kim (Brie Larson) opted for a family including her adorable albeit nerdy step-son. Amy shows sheer disdain when she encounters this little fellow as it threatens who she is and what she believes she never can be.
True to form of the romantic comedy, she meets Aaron Conners (Bill Hader) and Amy quickly finds herself in a relationship with this man. And she is happy and we are happy for her. But between squabbles with her sister, conflicts with her tyrannical boss (Tilda Swinton), and the death of her father, she is confronted with a blow-out fight that unravels her relationship with Aaron.
Amy is a tough, don’t-mess-with-me lady in this film and it was nice to discover that underneath she was a scared, self-loathing train wreck, if you will, as she questions Aaron about why anyone would ever want her. I read into this that the lifestyle of one night stands and boozing is not what women seek out. In the end, she learns many valuable lessons about relationships including compromise and trust. And as you can guess, Amy and Aaron end up together, or in this case, rolling around on a gym mat at Madison Square Garden.
Amy Schumer is on fire right now as the comedic genius of the decade. She plays the role of Amy with just that sort of bravado that I expected. She is such a natural comic that her dialogue comes off as purely her own (she wrote it so that makes sense); she is a one very funny person. She has her Lucy Ricardo moments and is able to pull off those as well including a dance scene with the New York Knicks cheerleaders that had the audience howling with laughs. Bill Hader plays the sports doctor with just the right amount of drama yet comedic overtones. His role allows for some perfectly timed cameos of some sports greats such as LeBron James and Tony Romo.
The film follows the old tried and true formula to tug on our emotional heartstrings by adding depth to the relationships, especially between Amy, her sister, and their father, Gordon. There were some good laughs and even a few moments that were uncomfortably sad to watch. A perfectly timed comedic comedy, designed to be a vulgar, sex-filled shocker for those that don’t traditionally see a female in the role that Schumer plays.
In theaters July 17th
