Script Analysis: “Trainwreck” — Scene By Scene Breakdown

Here is my take on this exercise from a previous series of posts — How To Read A Screenplay:

After a first pass, it’s time to crack open the script for a deeper analysis and you can do that by creating a scene-by-scene breakdown. It is precisely what it sounds like: A list of all the scenes in the script accompanied by a brief description of the events that transpire.

For purposes of this exercise, I have a slightly different take on scene. Here I am looking not just for individual scenes per se, but a scene or set of scenes that comprise one event or a continuous piece of action. Admittedly this is subjective and there is no right or wrong, the point is simply to break down the script into a series of parts which you then can use dig into the script’s structure and themes.

The value of this exercise:

• We pare down the story to its most constituent parts: Scenes.
• By doing this, we consciously explore the structure of the narrative.
• A scene-by-scene breakdown creates a foundation for even deeper analysis of the story.

Today: Trainwreck (2015). You may download a PDF of the script here.

Written by Amy Schumer.

IMDb plot summary: Having thought that monogamy was never possible, a commitment-phobic career woman may have to face her fears when she meets a good guy.

Trainwreck
Scene-by-Scene Breakdown
Written by Joni Brainerd
GoIntoTheStory.com

p 1–2: In opening flashback, a dad (GORDON) tells his little girls (AMY and KIM) about why he and their mom are getting divorced. Using the analogy “if you could only play with one doll your entire life….” to explain, he prompts their recitation of: “Monogamy isn’t realistic.”

p 3–4: Now “23 YEARS LATER”, grown-up Amy, making out with some random drunk guy, tells us she’s “a sexual girl.” We see her dismissing a series of one-night stands from her apartment.

p 5: She introduces us to STEVEN, a man she claims to be seeing … but then wakes up with some other random guy, thereby breaking her sleep-over rule.

p 6–7: In neighboring bathroom stalls, Amy and her workplace bestie (NIKKI) debate which Johnny Depp character they’d have sex with.

p 7–13: We meet more colleagues during an editorial meeting to discuss magazine article ideas for upcoming issues of S’NUFF. Her boss (DIANNA) assigns a colleague’s pitch to Amy — an in-depth piece on AARON CONNER, sports doctor to big-time athletes. Not a sports fan, Amy hates this. Dianna also tells Amy to take the new intern (DONALD) under her wing. She hates this too.

p 13–18: At their dad’s house, we learn Amy and Kim have had to put Gordon (only in his 50s) into a not-so-great-but-all-they-can-afford assisted living place. His house is up for sale, they’re cleaning through his stuff, arguing over whether to keep/sell/toss his beloved snow globes and Mets stuff. They do not speak kindly of their dad — an alcoholic who evidently screwed their teachers. We meet TOM and ALLISTER, Kim’s husband and step-son, an odd little “smart” boy.

p 19–21: Amy and muscle-bound/meathead Steven have sex. She asks him to “talk dirty” to her — his efforts are ridiculous, epic fails. He clearly enjoys himself more than she does.

p22–23: We meet NOAM, resident panhandler near Amy’s building. They’re pals — he knows about her dad and is comfortable ribbing her about her “look”.

p 23–24: At assisted living, Gordon’s already arguing with an old man, complaining about the sex-crazed elderly, and giving Amy grief for allowing her sister to throw away some of his stuff.

p 25–30: Amy meets Dr. Aaron Conners at his office to discuss the magazine article. In pops LEBRON JAMES, clearly a pal of the doc, chatting about Downton Abbey. After she didn’t recognize Lebron, Amy attempts to convince Aaron she knows about sports, but can’t quite come up real team names. Finally she admits she knows nada about sports, then blunders her way through pretending she has any black friends. Off to a great start!

p 31–37: Amy and Steven have a movie date. He gets into it with some guy sitting nearby and, after the movie, gets into it with Amy over their lack of “exclusivity” when he discovers various men’s’ names in her phone.

p 37–39: Amy and Kim chat over brunch, Kim suggesting Amy should “change her ways”. We learn Kim is pregnant .. and that the girls may have to move their dad to a cheaper place.

p 39–41: Kim tells Gordon she’s pregnant and a heated argument ensues when he doesn’t recognize her current stepson as a legitimate “grandchild”. Kim accuses Amy of picking their dad’s side.

p 42–45: Amy with Aaron — meeting patients, learning he helps with Doctors Without Borders, and getting a first-hand demo of the assessment equipment he uses. While on a treadmill hooked up to a monitor, a text from Kim about their dad sends Amy into a mini-panic attack.

p 46–52 Amy and Aaron chat over dinner, and over drinks. Sort of for the article, quasi-feels like a date. By the time they hail a cab, Amy tells the drive “one stop” — Aaron’s place. No sooner do they arrive, she jumps him, much to his shock and amazement. Afterwards, he convinces her to “stay over” and an awkward “no spooning” moment ensues.

p 52–60 At S’nuff the next day, Amy deals with an obnoxious male colleague, Dianna hounding her about working toward a promotion and a chat with Nikki which is interrupted by Aaron — who says his is not butt-dialing her. We see him, lunching with LeBron, and (awkwardly) attempting to ask Amy out again.

p 60–62 Amy tries viewing one of Aaron’s surgeries — but is grossed out. And amused by how he listens to “Uptown Girl” while he operates. After, he tries asking her out for dinner, convinced they like each other, but is interrupted by a distress call from Gordon’s care facility.

p 62–65 Aaron accompanies Amy to the assisted living place, where he administers stitches to Gordon’s head wound since no other doctor has responded yet. Gordon’s his usual obnoxious, bigoted self, and Aaron his usual — tolerant and patient.

p 66–67 Amy walks/talks with Kim, who thinks Amy might actually be (gasp) “in love”.

p 68–70 At a dunk contest, LeBron quizzes Amy about her intentions with Aaron.

p 70–71 A “We Fell Hard for Each Other” montage of lovey-dovey snippets.

p 71–73 Shooting hoops, LeBron warns Aaron about “protecting” himself. Like, legally. First sign of “issues” where Amy is concerned.

p 74–76 Gordon’s constant meanness and negativism get to Amy. She tries defending Aaron and her relationship with him, but finally — she up and leaves her father.

p 76–82 Aaron goes with Amy to a grown-ups baby shower at Kim and Tom’s. Aaron’s subjected to “the guys”, Amy to “the girls” — — awkward conversations, admissions, and realizations ensue. Amy’s freaked Aaron wants kids and might be “too nice”. Aaron catches wind of Amy’s abundant sex life.

p 83–87 Amy learns her father has died. Graveside, she delivers an elegy which prompts attendees to agree to Gordon’s cruelty as well as how he was their favorite person. Afterwards, Amy and Kim argue and, as they’re leaving, Aaron tells Amy he loves her. She berates him for his poor timing.

p 87–88 Back at work, Dianna tells Amy she’s cutting the article on Dr. Conners and that Amy better get on board with it as her promotion hangs in the balance.

p 88–95 Amy attends a “Doctors Without Borders” luncheon at which Aaron receives an honor. It’s a bit of a mess — — she’s not dressed quite right, she winds up taking a call from Dianna — and leaving the room — during Aaron’s acceptance speech, and Aaron/Amy wind up fighting out in the hallway. Unaccustomed to how “couples” fight — or work at all, for that matter — Amy’s impulse is to want to leave. She doesn’t understand why Aaron loves her.

p. 95–97 Working off the “don’t go to bed angry” rule, Amy and Aaron attempt to stay up — virtually all night, and the night before Aaron’s big, groundbreaking surgery on New York Knicks’ basketball phenom Amar’e Stoudemire, no less — to talk things through.

p. 97–100 This lack of sleep leads to Aaron the walking zombie putting Amar’e on high alert the next morning at the hospital. Amar’e — wisely — pulls the plug on the surgery, putting it off for when Aaron is back to his normal self.

P 100–102 Aaron returns to Amy’s apartment, where they pick back up — — he admitting he is bothered by her smoking pot and sleeping with lots of men and she spouting off about how he should find a nicer girl — maybe a cheerleader who, once she marries him, would wear conservative clothes and get smaller fake tits. Aaron defends cheerleaders — citing how they bring people together and make them happy, whereas Amy and her magazine colleagues just sit back and judge others but don’t actually TRY to do much of anything. Aaron says he has the surgery rescheduled in a few days, let’s just take these few days off. And Amy says Dianna’s pulled the plug on the story, so she’s actually done-done with him.

p. 103–107 Drowning her sorrows at a pub with workmates, Amy gets a bit too tight with intern Donald and — making a huge bad decision — goes home with him. There, a strange bout of foreplay winds up with Donald asking Amy to hit him. She’s uncomfortable with this, until he shows her how, and then she clocks him. Just then, Donald’s mother runs in — — and Amy learns he’s only 16!!

p. 108–110 Back at work, Dianna has no choice than to fire Amy for such grave misconduct. But not before telling her that Nikki got the promotion and also, that she re-read the piece Amy wrote on Dr. Conners and it’s not bad.

p. 110–112 Series of scenes in which we see Amy and Aaron each on their own. And not necessarily happy. Although Aaron’s surgery for Amar’e went fantastic!

p. 112–115 LeBron calls Aaron one night to come to this fitness place because he’s “pulled something” but when Aaron arrives, he finds it’s an intervention of some sort — — LeBron, Marv Albert, Chrissie Evert and Matthew Broderick round out the odd assemblage. They try giving advice re: Amy…

p. 115–117 Amy goes to Kim’s house. The sisters make up. Amy learns Kim’s expecting a little girl.

p. 118–119 Amy decides to change her life — — cleans out all her booze and drugs (and gives them to Noam, that homeless guy out from of her building) and she marches in to Vanity Fair with her article. An article which we hear in V.O. by Amy and see Aaron reading in a VF issue at his office.

p. 120–122 We see Aaron at Knicks game where Amar’e is set to return to action — with his repaired knee — and we see Amy getting ready and then making her way to Madison Square Garden.

p. 122–125 Post-game, someone tells Aaron that Amar’e is looking for him, and that he’s down on the court. Aaron heads that way. Music fires up and suddenly — here come the Knicks cheerleaders back out onto the floor. And holy cow — Amy is dolled up in a cheerleader’s outfit and is going to perform a routine with them! WTH? She’s “putting herself out there”, she’s “trying” and they both admit to missing each other. Amy also tries joining the trampoline basketball dunk guys — — which goes horribly wrong, but Aaron loves the effort. They exchange “I love you’s” and kiss….on the Jumbo Tron.

Writing Exercise: I encourage you to read the script, but short of that, if you’ve seen the movie, go through this scene-by-scene breakdown. What stands out to you about it from a structural standpoint?

To download a PDF of the breakdown, go here.

Kudos to Joni Brainerd for doing the scene-by-scene breakdown.

To see 100+ screenplay scene-by-scene breakdowns, go here.