Review: LeBron’s Movie Debut in “Trainwreck”

This weekend at the box office marked the arrival of the first major role in a feature film by LeBron James in the sometimes raunchy, sometimes romantic comedy, Trainwreck. Directed by Judd Apatow, and starring the talented and occasionally controversial comic, Amy Schumer, Trainwreck opened Friday (technically late Thursday night) to fairly positive reception from critics and audiences alike.

Despite this being LeBron’s first real foray into acting on the big screen (not counting his appearance in the documentary “More Than A Game”), The King had a fairly sizable role, as the “best friend” character to a sports doctor, played by Bill Hader. And, although he was essentially playing himself, it was a somewhat more exaggerated and comical version of LeBron we know.

Going in, I wasn’t sure how LeBron would fare (given the sometimes painful performances sports figures are capable of ruining films with), but ultimately, I came away fairly impressed with his comedic chops… especially since he reportedly had no acting lessons in advance.

[Warning: Minor spoilers ahead]

The film, itself, is the type of flick fans of Apatow have come to expect. It features a fairly simple setup that throws two people from different worlds together, and the comedy (and ultimately tension) ensues from their awkward explorations of each other and the opposite realities in which they exist. In this case, Schumer’s non-monogamous, party-girl, men’s magazine writer collides with Hader’s more reserved, less sexually active, and charming if somewhat boring arthroscopic surgeon to sports stars.

For fans of Schumer’s brand (she’s been a successful stand-up comic for several years, and was also just nominated for an Emmy for her “Inside Amy Schumer” show on Comedy Central), which focuses primarily on the comedic side of sex and relationships, there’s plenty to like as the laughs flow fluidly from the opening scene on. However, it’s the chemistry that she and Hader share on screen that really kicks the comedy into a higher gear. Hader’s introduction is followed shortly by LeBron’s, who initially appears to be just one of the doctor’s many star patients, but is revealed as the closest thing he has to a friend.

Now, while I’m a fan of Apatow, Schumer and Hader (one of the more underrated SNL performers in recent history), my primary reason for checking this movie out opening weekend was my curiosity at whether LeBron could hold his own and deliver a comedic performance that could stack up some of the other all-timers (a la Kareem in Airplane), or fall embarrassingly flat (a la Shaq in the ill-fated Kazaam). So, rather than spend a lot of time reviewing the movie as a whole, I’ll spend most of it covering LeBron’s performance.

It’s not like LBJ is a stranger to being funny on camera… after all, who could forget the early days of “The LeBrons” commercials:

Or his first stint as guest host for Saturday Night Live?

http://www.hulu.com/watch/124972

LeBron actually only appears in five scenes of this film, although they’re spaced out well enough to make it seem like he’s there even more. The initial scene, which takes place in the doctor’s office, has LeBron interrupting Hader and Schumer’s characters as he comes back to look for a pair of sunglasses he left behind. This scene introduces a running joke that LeBron is really frugal (read: cheap). It’s also the much-referenced scene where Bron insists on watching Downton Abbey that night since he doesn’t want the guys to ruin it at practice the next day. Overall, it’s a decent introduction to LeBron’s character, despite being a little stiff and awkward. The Downton joke would have been the funniest bit, although it’s been out there already in the advertising materials, so it’s not quite as fresh. Ironically, the one of the funniest things this first appearance achieves is a follow-up, brilliantly awkward moment where Schumer claims to have “lots of black friends as well,” and then is forced to prove it.

The next LBJ appearance features just the King and Hader in a classic rom-com “friends having lunch” scene. This is probably Bron’s most natural and conversationally funny part in the film, where he gives Hader’s character relationship advice. Cavs fans should have some fun with LeBron’s metaphors about his relationship with Cleveland, and his constant selling of his friend on coming to visit him there. And, of course, they keep the joke of LBJ being cheap going as well with a funny bit about who’s going to pick up the check.

A few scenes later, LeBron gets a chance to flex his physical comedy muscles on the court, as he and Hader’s character play some one-on-one while discussing the doc’s new relationship. LBJ looks comfortable, seemingly having a blast abusing Hader in this scene. A highlight, aside from the physical sight gags, is Bron’s semi-intentional quoting of Kanye West.

LeBron finally gets some screen time with Schumer next (as seen in the title pic) at a basketball exhibition, where LBJ puts his own unique spin on the “you better not hurt him” speech. The comedy in the scene comes mainly from the sheer awkwardness of these two disparate people in a reversed role situation, and LeBron makes the most of it. Schumer, who also wrote the script, does a terrific job throughout, giving Bron plenty of good material to work with.

I won’t ruin the context of the final LeBron scene for you, although I will say that it features several other cameos from the sports world (none of whom are as funny or memorable as LBJ, incidentally). It’s a fun bit that caps off a pretty solid all-around performance for LeBron.

Amare with Director, Judd Apatow

In fact, my one big complaint with LeBron’s role in this film, is that there actually should have been even more of him to help move the story forward. At one point towards the end of the film, Hader’s character is supposed to perform an important knee surgery, which is compromised by a fight that he and Schumer’s characters have the night before. Yet, instead of having the recipient of the surgery be his best friend, LeBron, it’s actually Amare Stoudamire who is supposed to go under the knife. While  it’s more believable that Amare would require such a surgery, it may have been that neither Apatow, Schumer, nor LBJ, wanted to imply even a fake movie version of knee surgery for LeBron. However, the emotional arc of the story suffered a bit by not having James included in this critical point of the movie.

Overall, Trainwreck is an enjoyable, and at times laugh-out-loud funny film. At just over two hours, it’s a little on the lengthy side, especially in the second half where Apatow mixes in his trademark dose of pathos and humanity to balance out the raucous humor. Schumer, Hader and most all of the cast are all a lot of fun to watch, and besides LeBron, other athletes like Amare, John Cena, Tony Romo and several others handle themselves nicely.

Bottom line… I genuinely got a kick out of watching LeBron in this role, and while he may not be as amazing on the screen as he is on the court, he certainly showed that he can be funny and delivered some memorable laughs.

Trainwreck is definitely worth seeing, and I’d put LeBron’s performance up there in my top five favorite sports figures in comedy movie roles along with:

Mike Tyson in The Hangover…

Andre the Giant in Princess Bride…

Alex Karras in Blazing Saddles…

and, the aforementioned Kareem Abdul Jabbar in Airplane.