TRAINWRECK ★★★★★ WOMEN HE’S UNDRESSED ★★★★★

Trainwreck

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out AUGUST 6 / RAtED MA15+ / 125 MINS.

DIRECTOR JUDD ApATOw CAST AMy SChUMER, BIll hADER, BRIE lARSON, lEBRON JAMES

plOT Amy is A pot-smoking, beer-swilling, vulgAr femAle, who refuses to stAy the night, let Alone commit to A second dAte. when the eArnest, lovAble AAron (hAder) worms his wAy into her heArt, she’s got to figure out how this whole monogAmy thing works.

Judd ApAtow is king of the

bro flicks. He may veer into emotional territory (The 40-Year-Old Virgin) or try to pretend he knows a thing or two about women (Knocked Up), but men and how they relate to the world always seem to be his modus operandi. Trainwreck derails that trend. And it’s no coincidence it’s the first Apatow-directed offering that a) was not written by him (comedian Amy Schumer wrote it) and b) focuses on a female lead (played by Schumer).

Lad’s mag journalist Amy isn’t looking for Mr. Right; in fact, she hopes that bastard stays as far away as possible. Ever since Daddy instilled in her from a

Glasses of milk: hilarious.

young age that “monogamy isn’t realistic”, she’s swapped men quicker than most of us change underwear. But when her editor (an unrecognisable Tilda Swinton — think Anna Wintour if she’d interned at Zoo Weekly) forces Amy to profile sports doctor Aaron, she finds herself feeling something that might be love. Or indigestion. Who knows?

You might think you know where this is going… and you’d mostly be right. But Trainwreck tugs at the heartstrings without getting them tangled.

There are no gimmicks; no one’s breaking up their bestie’s wedding, riding off into the sunset, or trying to find a baby daddy before her ovaries shut up shop. There’s just a girl trying to overcome a lifetime of protecting herself and a guy trying to understand how to share his world with her. And a lot of really gross, totally hilarious jokes.

Schumer is a powerhouse, hitting a home run on every gag but also displaying a dramatic vulnerability not usually associated with comedians. She keeps Amy firmly in the “you’re a mess but we’re cheering for you” camp.

And who would have thought Hader could be this dreamy as a romantic lead? Or that some of the world’s biggest sports stars could be this funny?

eliZAbeth best

VERDICT Trainwreck has heart, but isn’t soppy, is vulgar but never offensive, and delivers laughs without losing its groundedness. It’s romcom done right.

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his ideas, this kind of brand-whoring feels strangely fitting. And with Destination NSW putting up a chunk of the cash for this flick, it’s no surprise the cinematography lets Sydney strut her stuff like the gorgeous dame she is.

Cowell brings out affecting performances from his cast, particularly Brammall, who portrays Ruben’s duelling external fortitude and internal uncertainty with a kind of frazzled strength. He’s achingly flawed; the kind of douchebag who’d praise himself in the third person while snorting coke off a model’s back, but somehow we still love him… He’s like the Hank Moody (Californication) of the silver screen.

However, as often happens when plays make the leap to the big screen, there are times when monologues still feel like they’re being delivered to a live audience rather than into a camera. Dialogue for the sake of exposition — a staple in theatrical pieces — feels staged. Moreover, set pieces that would be right at home in a theatre — a wall of booze in Ruben’s house to show the constant struggle against his demons — seem odd on film. Chuck out the bottles already, Rubes, you’re not impressing anyone with your angsty glass smashing!

The lively pace falters somewhat in the third act, as a seemingly endless merry-go-round of people — dad, mum, boss, mate — repeatedly try to entice Ruben into a little (or bloody big) tipple. Come on, guys, the man said “No!”

What shines through, though, is Cowell’s intimate knowledge of the subject matter. He wrote Ruben Guthrie after his own year off booze, and it’s clear he has a deep personal connection to the plight of those struggling with their vices. His humanisation of a prevalent yet not-oft-talked-about problem may make ripples rather than waves, but elevates the film well above a mere cautionary tale. eb

VERDICT To drink or not to drink… that’s the question, and Ruben Guthrie shows the answer isn’t a simple yes or no. Cowell has created a complex, emotive black comedy that leaves us, if not shaken, then definitely stirred.

women he’s undressed

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out JUly 16 / RAtED pG / 100 MINS. DIRECTOR Gillian Armstrong CAST orry-Kelly, Cary Grant

orry George Kelly from coastal NSW became orry-Kelly, multiple oscarwinning costume designer during Hollywood’s Golden Era. How he worked on more than 280 movies — including landmarks Casablanca and Some Like It Hot — yet his homeland hardly knows him is not the only mystery investigated throughout this spirited doco. Fuelled by o-K’s diaries and famous interviewees, the loving, revealing ode hinges much on a hushed relationship with a legendary leading man. ben mceAchen