Trainwreck (Rated C) Cast: Amy Schumer, Bill Hader, LeBron James, John Cena

Genre: Comedy-Drama Dwight's

Rating: 3.5 Stars

What a week it's been for Amy Schumer!

Last Thursday, the stand-up comedian, writer and actress was nominated for an Emmy Award in the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series category for her Comedy Central variety/sketch show, “Inside Amy Schumer”. She’s also nominated in the variety series category for writing that show, and for co-directing its brilliant “12 Angry Men Inside Amy Schumer” episode. The show itself, which has already won a Peabody Award, is also up for the outstanding variety series Emmy.

Then, in theaters the very next day, her first-ever starring role in a feature film debuted in theaters. As an R-rated comedy, “Trainwreck” opened with better than expected numbers, coming in third at the U.S. box office against strong family-friendly superhero and animated comedy competition. Schumer also has the sole screenwriting credit for the film.

Yes, Schumer is seemingly on top of the world, conquering television and the stand-up comedy circuits, and now staking a claim in the film universe. “Trainwreck” is showcasing her talent at not just writing superb comedy and satire, but at romance and even complex family drama as well, and proving that she is a truly credible actress.

In the interest of full disclosure, I must admit I am one of Amy Schumer’s biggest fans. I love her standup routines, and I believe “Inside Amy Schumer” is one of the funniest programs on television today. I would probably find Amy Schumer pressing an elevator button to be hilarious. Nevertheless, I would like to think I could be impartial enough to recognize a turd of a movie, despite my adoration for the parties involved.

That said, the movie, “Spy” — which just a few weeks ago I declared to be the funniest movie so far this year — must now step aside to allow “Trainwreck” to take its rightful place as the year’s very best comedy.

Schumer’s project was placed in the capable hands of Director Judd Apatow (“The 40-Year Old Virgin”, “Knocked Up”), who produced the similarly themed and raunchy “Bridesmaids”. Schumer stars as magazine writer Amy Townsend who is promiscuous and proud, ever since her father drilled into her head that monogamy isn’t realistic. But she’s not necessarily happy about the direction of her life. Things begin to change when while writing a profile about successful sports doctor Aaron Conners (Bill Hader), she finds herself falling in love with him.

It’s a relatively simple premise, but beneath the surface this is a rich, multilayered character study, with apparently quite a few similarities to Schumer’s real life. Here she’s examining not just romantic relationships, but friendships, family bonds, and office politics.

Sure, initially things feel very much like her sketch show. That’s not a bad thing for fans accustomed to Schumer’s style of humor. But watching something that resembles a TV variety series is certainly not what most of us expect when we go the cinema. Thankfully, as we get to know more about the characters, the more evenly paced and balanced it gets.

Those characters are all quite a treat. Even down to the tiniest roles, each is surprisingly well defined. We’ve seen it time-and-time again with films from even acclaimed screenwriters, where all the characters seem to blend together, or all speak in the same rapid-fire, quirky sentences, displaying the same levels of wit. That’s certainly not the case here, allowing for numerous standout performances. In fact, the supporting cast is afforded abundant opportunities to take scene stealing to new heights. It’s loaded with celebrity cameos, but is such a different experience from this summer’s “Entourage” which somehow managed to feel both overstuffed and yet underinflated.

We are treated to brief appearances from the likes of actor Matthew Broderick, tennis legend Chris Evert, sportscaster Marv Albert, and NBA star Amar’e Stoudemire, all playing themselves.

NBA phenom LeBron James has a more prominent role, and is actually pretty good. Don’t be surprised to hear James soon say he’s moving his talents away from Cleveland to Los Angeles, and not for the stale Lakers, but rather, for a career in Hollywood. He plays an exaggerated (we hope) version of himself — a goofball and cheapskate, but a fiercely loyal best friend to Aaron.

Other standouts include the glorious Academy Award winning actress Tilda Swinton as Amy’s outrageous boss-from-hell. Every line she utters is comedic gold. And “Saturday Night Live”

(“SNL”) alum comedian Colin Quinn delivers a memorable performance as Amy’s curmudgeon father, who’s battling multiple sclerosis.

Daniel Radcliffe (the “Harry Potter” franchise) and Oscar-winner Marisa Tomeii are allowed to go full-on insane in the ridiculously hilarious movie-within-the-movie, “The Dog Walker”, and macho wrestling superstar John Cena bravely allows the audience to see a very different side of himself.

Speaking of altered perceptions, former “SNL” member Bill Hader — who before now would have seemed the least likely choice for a leading man — is quite capable as a romantic lead. One can realistically believe several new doors may open up as a result of this performance.

Still, it’s Amy Schumer who’s probably most shattering people’s perceptions. It’s hard to say at which she excels more — acting or writing? Even when performing the most dramatic scenes, she is believable, authentic, never hokey.

But the mastery of both the little things and the most complex scenarios in the script is amazing. A tearjerker of a dramatic scene can immediately turn on a dime into tear-inducing, raucous laughter. It’s like a wild rollercoaster!

Schumer and Apatow have crafted a romantic comedy that is neither a chick-flick nor a chauvinistic ego trip. It’s a detailed study on how human beings can intentionally but often unwittingly sabotage all kinds of interpersonal relationships. It doesn’t really appear to be trying to be anything more than fall-out-of-your-chair funny, but manages to be one of the most touching, observant and smartest comedies in years.

I can’t wait to see what Amy does next!

• Dwight Strachan is the host/producer of “ Morning Blend” on Guardian Radio. He is a television producer and writer, and an avid TV history and film buff. Email dwight@nasguard.com and follow him on twitter @morningblend969.

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