Trainwreck Information

Trainwreck is a 2015 American romantic comedy film directed by Judd Apatow and written by Amy Schumer. The film stars Schumer and Bill Hader along with an ensemble cast that includes Brie Larson, Colin Quinn, John Cena, Vanessa Bayer, Tilda Swinton, Ezra Miller, and LeBron James. The film is about a hard-drinking, free-spirited young magazine writer named Amy Townsend (Schumer) who has her first serious relationship with a prominent sports doctor named Aaron Conners (Hader).

Principal photography began on May 19, 2014, in New York City. The film premiered at the 2015 South by Southwest Film Festival on March 15, 2015, and was released theatrically in the United States on July 17, 2015, by Universal Pictures. The film won several awards and was nominated for numerous others, including two Golden Globe Awards (Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy and Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy) and the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay.

Plot

Gordon Townsend tells his two young daughters Amy and Kim that he and their mother are divorcing because monogamy is not realistic, repeating it like a mantra. Twenty-three years later, Amy is a party girl who drinks too much and sleeps around while writing for a men's magazine. She is in a casual relationship with a gym-addict named Steven, who was attracted to her because he first thought she 'looked like a dude'. Her cold-hearted English boss, Dianna, assigns her to write an article about a sports doctor named Aaron Conners.

While Amy is interviewing Aaron, she receives a text from Kim insisting they move Gordon to a cheaper assisted-living facility. Amy starts to hyperventilate, but Aaron calms her down and suggests they get food. Over dinner, he compliments her writing and she learns about his family. After some drinks, they go to his place and have sex. Amy stays the night, which is a departure from her rule of never sleeping over with a man she's had sex with.

The next day, Aaron calls to ask if they can see each other again. Amy panics and tells him they will talk about it at the interview. She and her friend Nikki decide she has to end it. Meanwhile, Aaron's friend, LeBron James, is excited for him since Aaron has not dated anyone in six years. Amy goes to watch Aaron perform surgery to "Uptown Girl", his favorite song. Afterwards, she tries to break things off. He insists they like each other and should date. Amy then gets a phone call that her dad had a fall. Aaron drives her to the home where he tends to her dad.

Aaron and Amy begin dating and fall for each other. Amy is worried she is going to mess up the relationship, but Kim tells her she is just doing what everyone else does. Gordon takes a stockpile of his medication, overdoses, and dies. At his funeral, Aaron tells her, for the first time, that he loves her. She tells him that it was the wrong time for him to start saying that to her.

Aaron receives a prestigious award at a luncheon and brings Amy. While making his speech, Amy gets a call from her boss Dianna, who threatens to fire her if she does not answer. She chooses to take the call and leaves during his speech. Afterwards, Aaron is upset and they start arguing. They return to her apartment, but Aaron thinks they should not go to bed angry, so Amy rants all night. The next day Aaron tells Amy that they need to take a break. Hurt, Amy reacts by telling him that it is fine.

Amy goes out drinking with her co-workers, including an intern, who invites her back to his place; their bizarre sexual encounter is interrupted when his mom enters and reveals that he is only 16. The next day, Dianna fires Amy for the incident. Aaron is moping in his apartment until LeBron calls, claiming he has been injured. Aaron rushes over to find an intervention for him consisting of LeBron, Matthew Broderick, Chris Evert, and Marv Albert. They tell him he has always been afraid of opening up and needs to make things right with Amy, but Aaron insists things with Amy are over.

Amy visits Kim and tells her everything that has happened; Kim tells her that it's time to change. Amy clears out all the alcohol from her apartment. She takes her Aaron story to Vanity Fair, where it ends up getting published, and sends it to Aaron. He attends a game and after, Aaron is called back to the court, where the Knicks City Dancers perform with Amy front and center, performing his favourite song "Uptown Girl". She tells him she wants to make their relationship work. They confess their love for each other and kiss.

Cast

• Amy Schumer as Amy Townsend
  • Devin Fabry as 9-year-old Amy
• Bill Hader as Dr. Aaron Conners
• Brie Larson as Kim Townsend
  • Carla Oudin as 5-year-old Kim
• Colin Quinn as Gordon Townsend
• John Cena as Steven
• Vanessa Bayer as Nikki
• Mike Birbiglia as Tom
• Ezra Miller as Donald
• Dave Attell as Noam
• Tilda Swinton as Dianna
• LeBron James as himself
• Jon Glaser as Schultz
• Randall Park as Bryson
• Evan Brinkman as Alistair
• Amar'e Stoudemire as himself
• Norman Lloyd as Norman
• Cliff "Method Man" Smith as Temembe
• Daniel Radcliffe as The Dog Walker
• Marisa Tomei as The Dog Owner
• Keith Robinson as Guy in Back of the Theater
• Marv Albert as himself
• Matthew Broderick as himself
• Chris Evert as herself
• Tony Romo as himself
• Leslie Jones as Angry Subway Patron
• Pete Davidson as Dr. Conners' patient
• Josh Segarra as Staten Island Oli
• Bobby Kelly as One-Night Stand Guy
• Dan Soder as Dumpster Guy
• Tim Meadows as Tim
• Jim Florentine as One-Night Stand Guy
• Nikki Glaser as Lisa
• Claudia O'Doherty as Wendy
• Bridget Everett as Kat
• Jim Norton as Carriage Driver (uncredited)
• Rachel Feinstein as Nurse Rachel

Production

On August 26, 2013, Universal Studios optioned an untitled script written by Amy Schumer that she would also star in. On November 27, 2013, it was announced that Judd Apatow would direct the film. On January 8, 2014, it was announced that the film would be released on July 24, 2015. On January 30, 2014, Bill Hader joined the cast of the film. On February 18, 2014, Brie Larson also joined the cast. On March 28, 2014, Colin Quinn, Barkhad Abdi, Mike Birbiglia, Jon Glaser, Vanessa Bayer, John Cena, Ezra Miller, and Tilda Swinton were cast in the film, though Abdi ultimately did not appear in it. On May 7, 2014, Method Man and LeBron James joined the cast of the film. On June 30, Daniel Radcliffe was spotted filming some scenes for the film, which confirmed his casting. On July 1, Marisa Tomei was also confirmed to appear, in scenes with Radcliffe. In an interview with The New York Times, Schumer revealed that she and Apatow dismissed their first idea for a story (later revealed to have Schumer as a used-car saleswoman), and shifted to an amplified and comedic version of Schumer's own past as its basis.

Filming

Principal photography began on May 19, 2014, in New York City. On June 2, the crew began filming in the area of Manhattan and Long Island. Principal photography ended on August 1, 2014. Editing on the movie began with the start of filming; the movie was finalized in December 2014.

Music

Jon Brion composed the music for the film.

Reception

Box office

Trainwreck grossed $110.2 million in North America and $30.6 million in other territories for a total gross of $140.8 million, against a budget of $35 million.

In the United States and Canada, Trainwreck opened on July 17, 2015, the same day as the superhero film Ant-Man. Initial projections had the film opening to around $20 million, with The Hollywood Reporter noting that it could overperform if it takes off among females or underperform given how R-rated comedies have struggled over the summer, with both Ted 2 and Magic Mike XXL failing to meet expectations. It made $1.8 million on Thursday night showings, which began at 8 p.m. from 2,363 theaters, and $10.7 million on its opening day. Through its opening weekend, it grossed $30.1 million from 3,158 theaters, exceeding expectations. This was Apatow's second-biggest debut as a director (just behind the $30.7 million debut of Knocked Up) and the sixth-biggest debut for a film that he was involved in as a writer, director or producer. The film played 69% female with 66% over 25 years old, which is typical for an R-rated comedy. According to a poll conducted by Rentrak in its opening weekend, 28% of respondents said they went to see the film because of Schumer.

Critical reception

On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 86% based on 255 reviews (219 fresh and 36 rotten) with an average rating of 7.2/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Trainwreck drags commitment out of all but the most rom-com-phobic filmgoers with sharp humor, relatable characters, and hilarious work from Amy Schumer." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 75 out of 100, based on 45 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A-" on an A+ to F scale.

Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune gave the film three and a half stars out of four, saying, "Schumer and Hader are wonderful together. Gender inequity in the world of comedy deserves all the overdue attention it's getting, and more. But there are matters of craft, wit (no matter how crude the jokes) and timing that transcend chromosomes." Richard Roeper of The Chicago Sun Times praised the performances of the cast, particularly Schumer, Hader, Quinn, and James. He also called Schumer's performance worthy of an Academy Award nomination. Benjamin Lee of The Guardian gave the film three out of five stars, stating, "Judd Apatow's latest is rough around the edges, but his focus on a female protagonist refreshes a genre in sore need of change". Ian Crouch, writing for The New Yorker, singled out LeBron James' performance for praise, writing that "it seems safe to declare that he has given the greatest motion-picture acting performance by an active professional basketball player of all time." Chris Nashawaty of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a B+, saying, "Beneath all of his bad-boy shtick, Apatow's always been a pretty conventional moralist. But Schumer gives their raunchy rom-com enough of her signature spikiness to prevent it from ever feeling predictable." Jacob Hall of the New York Daily News gave the film four out of five stars, saying, "Schumer raises Apatow's game beautifully. Her biting, pitch-black wit and his penchant for character-driven comedy go together like gin and tonic." Peter Travers of Rolling Stone gave the film three-and-a-half stars out of four, saying "Sweet is not how Schumer wants Trainwreck to go down. She wants to explode rom-com clichs and replace them with something fierce and ready to rumble. Done."

Sara Stewart of the New York Post gave the film four out of four stars, saying "Trainwreck is a corrective to a lot of outdated clichs. It's very funny and sweet and even a little weepy, and it has maybe the best scene ever filmed of dirty talk gone wrong." Ty Burr of The Boston Globe gave the film three out of four stars, saying "Trainwreck serves as confirmation that a star is born, a seemingly average woman whose above-average superpowers include reminding us of our own. Where she goes from here should be fascinating to watch." Brian Truitt of USA Today gave the film three out of four stars, saying "With films such as Funny People and This Is 40, Apatow has toyed with finding the right blend of the serious and the hilarious and finally hits it here." Moira MacDonald of The Seattle Times gave the film three out of four stars, saying, "There's nothing remotely fresh about this plotline (or the way Apatow, true to form, makes the movie 20 minutes longer than it should be), but Trainwreck works as comedy more often than it doesn't"?and that's rare enough." Alonso Duralde of The Wrap said, "Ultimately comes down in favor of mainstream girl-gets-boy in a way that Inside Amy Schumer might find a little dubious, but it never feels like Schumer is aggressively watering down her uniquely prickly brand of comedy for a mass audience."

Accolades

Award	Category	Recipients and nominees	Result
ACE Eddie Awards	Best Edited Feature Film - Comedy or Musical	William Kerr and Paul Zucker
Austin Film Critics Association	The Robert R. 'Bobby' McCurdy Memorial Breakthrough Artist Award	Amy Schumer
Chicago Film Critics Association	Most Promising Performer	Amy Schumer
Critics' Choice Awards	Best Comedy	Trainwreck
	Best Actor in a Comedy	Bill Hader
	Best Actress in a Comedy	Amy Schumer
Denver Film Critics Society	Best Comedy	Trainwreck
	Best Original Screenplay	Amy Schumer
Empire Awards	Best Comedy	Trainwreck
	Best Screenplay	Amy Schumer
Golden Globe Awards	Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy	Trainwreck
	Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy	Amy Schumer
Hollywood Film Awards	Hollywood Comedy Award	Amy Schumer
Kansas City Film Critics Circle	Best Original Screenplay	Trainwreck
Las Vegas Film Critics Society	Best Original Screenplay	Trainwreck
	Best Comedy Film
London Film Critics Circle	Supporting Actress of the Year	Tilda Swinton
MTV Movie Awards	Best Breakthrough Performance	Amy Schumer
	Best Comedic Performance	Amy Schumer
	Best Kiss	Amy Schumer and Bill Hader
	Best Ensemble Cast	Trainwreck
People's Choice Awards	Favorite Comedic Movie	Trainwreck
	Favorite Comedic Movie Actress	Amy Schumer
Phoenix Critics Circle	Best Comedy Film	Trainwreck
St. Louis Film Critics Association	Best Comedy Film	Trainwreck
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association	Best Original Screenplay	Amy Schumer
Writers Guild of America Awards	Best Original Screenplay	Amy Schumer
Women Film Critics Circle	Best Comedic Actress	Amy Schumer