Review: Schumer, Hader shine in bawdy 'Trainwreck'

In the outdated rulebook of who we get to see on the big screen, leading ladies need to be likable — that tiresome, comedy-killing characteristic.

Bawdy, brash and beaming with confidence in every mistake, Amy does not suffer fools gladly or suitors at all.

Or, "monogamy isn't realistic" as he makes Amy and her even younger sister recite over and over after a conversation comparing partners to dolls.

All this makes it particularly odd that for about 75 percent of the movie this freewheeling character is not only in a relationship, but she's in a relationship with a really, truly nice guy.

Amy's editor (an excellent, unrecognizable Tilda Swinton) assigns her to profile a successful sport's doctor Aaron Conners (Bill Hader) for "S'nuff," a men's magazine with "Vice" bite.

Pretty soon, and without much of a fight, they're subway kissing, Brooklyn Bridge-gazing, Central Park carriage-riding, and engaging in other cheesy rom-com tropes that are overlaid with a snarky, self-conscious voiceover from Amy.

With "Trainwreck," director Judd Apatow has triumphantly exited the depressive bubble that he found himself in with the earnest but flawed "Funny People" and "This is 40."

The meandering third act brings the energy to a near halt, as the film veers into self-reflection territory.

Trainwreck, a Universal Pictures release, is rated R by the Motion Picture Association of America for strong sexual content, nudity, language and some drug use.