Snatched is a well-balanced comedy that showcases the comedic depth of Amy Schumer.
Summary
Emily (Amy Schumer) has reached a crossroads in her life. She has no job. Her friends seem to be avoiding her like the plague. The boyfriend that she will not stop talking about has just dumped right before his band went on tour. Now she finds herself ringing the doorbell of her childhood home and being consoled by her mother Linda (Goldie Hawn). The only glimmer of happiness she has right now is a trip that’s already paid for, but no one wants to go on with her. After stumbling upon a scrapbook of her mom’s adventures, she quickly decides that this trip is going to be a mother/daughter bonding experience. Emily immediately falls prey to the charms of a young Latin man and agrees to go on a sightseeing trip with him and her mother the next morning. This leads to an unfortunate chain of events that results in Emily and Linda being taken captive. They do manage to escape rather quickly but find themselves deep in the heart of the jungle and with no idea where to go.
What Worked
This film was a bit of a departure from what we usually see Amy Schumer in. Instead of seeing her navigating a narrative rife with vulgarity (example Trainwreck), we see her evolve into more of a physical comedian. Katie Dippold is excellent at writing those type of comedies, but we usually see Melissa McCarthy in these kinds of roles. In Spy we see McCarthy falling over while using the motorscooter. In Snatched, Schumer finds out unexpectedly that she’s a master shot with a speargun. There is a level of physicality that we aren’t used to seeing from Schumer in this film.
The casting choices for each of the supporting roles were spot-on. Wanda Sykes, Joan Cusack, Ike Barinholtz, and Christopher Meloni were all perfect choices. At times Ike even outshined the principle cast.
While we are talking about casting, let’s talk about picking Goldie Hawn to play the mom. Hawn provided an excellent balance between loving mother for Amy’s character Emily and straight man during all of her antics. Skepticism wouldn’t begin to describe how I felt about Goldie Hawn being cast in this film, but her performance left me pleasantly surprised.
There was certainly an emotional depth to this release that caught me off guard. To say that Snatched is a comedy about kidnapping just wouldn’t be accurate. This story is more about a daughter and mother trying to repair a fractured relationship years after the damage. This picture will make you laugh and at some points tear up.
The film was the right length. 91 minutes was a perfect amount of time to tell this tale.
Overall
Snatched is one of the most surprising films released in 2017. Instead of a long drawn out raunch fest, what we have is a fun and swiftly paced comedy that plays to the strengths of the cast. This release is a great girls night movie and one you could see with mom this weekend.
