Judd Apatow is one of Hollywood's most powerful producers; a creative force who pretty much defined the "tone" of current comedy movies with a new wave of banter-heavy pictures that embraced improv and weren't afraid to have a bit of heart, too. That The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up were classics was clear, and Apatow was unofficially declared to be the best comedy director in the business on account of their successes. Then came the difficult third album, Funny People, which saw Apatow probing Woody Allen territory to little success. This Is 40 came next, a "sort-of sequel" to Knocked Up which seemed to suggest that Apatow was out of ideas; creatively, he appeared to have lost it. Who knew that Apatow would find his feet again, then, with Trainwreck, a movie that he himself did not write. That credit went to Amy Schumer, comedy's new First Lady, whose raunchy sensibility gelled perfectly with Apatow's relaxed style. The movie itself is clearly Schumer's, but in his attempt to be both present and invisible (his family do not appear, thank God), Apatow allowed a new talent the chance to shine without any interference. Safe to say, Trainwreck is his best film since Knocked Up - all the way back in 2007.
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.