Movie review: “Trainwreck” (2015)

trainwreck

“I’ve been with a lot of guys.”

“I don’t care! I…how many?”

“I don’t know. How many girls have you slept with?”

“I’ve slept with three women.”

“Me too! I have…slept with three women too.”

“How many guys?”

“What…like, this year?”

To a successful stand-up, a well-honed comedic persona can be an invaluable tool – part battle armor, part Kabuki makeup, part magician’s assistant. Such a persona, historically, particularly becomes the provocateur – your Kinisons, your Dice-Clays, and so forth. The late, great Richard Pryor was such a gifted mimic and storyteller that he could try on new roles two at a time ten times a night and still be hailed for his truth-telling authenticity*. Amy Schumer has enjoyed a meteoric, in many ways fascinating, rise over the past five years from relative unknown to buzzworthy stand-up** to television star to trending pop culture force. Through it all, the stage persona that has allowed her to not only reach but charm a significant audience – largely on the strength of, let’s face it, objectively filthy material – has remained more or less intact. Continue reading “Movie review: “Trainwreck” (2015)”