"This is the best night of my life," Amy Schumer addressed the exuberant crowd at Alice Tully Hall on Tuesday for the world premiere of her romantic comedy, Trainwreck. Director Judd Apatow stood nearby feeding the comedienne lines, reminding her to thank Universal and the Film Society of Lincoln Center, hosts of the spectacular launch, including the lavish after party at the refurbished Tavern on the Green. Apatow had introduced Bill Hader, the movie's nerdy heartthrob. That's not an oxymoron. Hader did his best to project his goofy appeal onstage, but wow, he's that sensitive, relatable man of your dreams with the wacky, raunchy Amy in this fresh and true take on love from Amy Schumer's script based on her personal story. The hundreds gathered for this stellar event whooped with joy.
The film opens with Colin Quinn as Amy's dad instructing his daughters on the impossibilities of monogamy. From there and 23 years later, Amy beds every man in sight. Her editor, the terrific Tilda Swinton, proving that she can do anything, especially in a sleek do and plastic face, assigns Amy a piece involving sports. At the pitch meeting, there's a crazy good sequence when SNL's Vanessa Bayer, a fellow reporter, is told to wipe off her wide wattage toothy smile, an order she simply cannot fulfill. That was improvised, said Bayer. "Tilda just did it and it stuck." Amy seduces an underage intern played by Ezra Miller, a kinky moment improvised in part. That explains Judd Apatow's magic as a director: let the talent loose on a good story. And LeBron James as actor! In addition to being the sports megastar that he is, he's confidante to Hader's Dr. Aaron Conner, parallel to Brie Larson as Amy's real life sister Kim.
In the VIP room, Swinton who played Miller's mom in We Need to Talk About Kevin, hung out with Ezra Miller, he in a fancy feathered troubadour hat and brocade jacket. Leslie Mann stayed tucked into a banquette behind her husband Judd Apatow. Chris Rock dined nearby. His hit, Top Five, proved that real men really do talk about love. And everyone swarmed around Amy Schumer; it was a giant group hug.
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