She’s sassy, smart and pop culture’s current “It Comedienne.” Just don’t get used to it, Amy Schumer.
Schumer’s Comedy Central program helped her break through the Hollywood noise machine. Her feature film “Trainwreck,” directed by comedy guru Judd Apatow, cemented her star status last year.
The American public can be rather fickle with its comedy heroes, though. And Schumer’s penchant for pushing political and cultural causes could stop her career ascent in its tracks.
Schumer’s comedy persona takes a page out of Sarah Silverman’s playbook. The “Inside Amy Schumer” star is sexually adventurous on screen, willing to work cobalt blue for a laugh. She’s not afraid to say she slept with a stranger last night and milk the memory for laughs.
For her, that’s empowerment 101. She’s more than just a shock comic, though.
“Trainwreck” showcased her dramatic chops. She’s no Streep, but she can handle a leading role without sacrificing key emotional beats. The movie also scored with audiences, eclipsing the critical $100 million mark at the domestic box office.
That proved her show’s modest ratings wouldn’t drag down her movie career.
That was then … 2015, to be exact.
Since then, Schumer has ramped up her feminist-laden comedy. That’s been an important part of her persona, poking fun at culture and how it unfairly categorizes women. She’s far too willing to play the Victim Card, though. And she’s compounded that with rabid gun control activism.
The latter began following a nightmarish scenario. Last year, a shooter opened fire in a theater showing “Trainwreck.” That forced the star to focus on control gun violence on a more personal level. So she teamed up with her cousin, Sen. Chuck Schumer, to push more gun control legislation.
She uses her celebrity clout for more than just photo ops. She starred in an anti-gun sketch a few months back on “Saturday Night Live” that insulted responsible gun owners.
More recently, she presented a factually challenged sketch on gun sales via her “Inside Amy Schumer” show. Attacking the Second Amendment could turn off existing and potential fans. It’s one thing to embrace a worthy cause and advocate for it. The public will accept that, perhaps with reservations.
If a celebrity starts spinning the truth and blasting those who don’t agree with her, that’s something more sinister for her career aspirations.
Even some media cheerleaders are aghast at how her new show is playing up her new fame. She’s no longer Amy from the Block. Now, she’s Superstar Amy, and her comedy flows from her higher place on the Hollywood pecking order. The Atlantic recently moaned that Schumer’s “growing celebrity has undeniably robbed the show of much of its edge.”
Schumer herself recently joked that she’ll likely be famous for another six months. That might not be another punch line.
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