Reviewed by Colin Jacobson (November 18, 2015)
With the success of 2015’s Trainwreck, Amy Schumer has officially become a mainstream star. Her Comedy Central sketch series Inside Amy Schumer helped get her there as well. This DVD package includes all 10 of Season Three’s episodes. The synopses come from IMDB.
Last F**kable Day: “Amy meets her heroes; tries to get birth control; explains where her poop comes out.”
That synopsis – and all the write-ups to follow - only includes a smidgen of the episode’s material. In addition to sketches, we see some of Schumer’s stand-up routine as well as her interview with a transgender woman.
This results in a spotty show. The titular sketch fares best, partly because it uses guests Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Patricia Arquette and Tina Fey. A couple other segments also work, but some fizzle, such as the Friday Night Lights parody.
Cool With It: “Amy takes off her makeup; going out to a strip club; Amy dates a rap star.”
Much of this episode’s humor revolves around Schumer’s alleged unattractiveness, and that becomes a big leap for me. Even in the boy band song that spoofs “natural beauty”, she looks pretty good to me – she’s way better-looking than she should be to pull off the gags.
Still, the boy band sketch proves pretty entertaining, and a few others work reasonably well. The one where she dates a failed rapper seems less successful, mainly because Kyle Dunnigan becomes annoying as the boyfriend.
12 Angry Men Inside Amy Schumer: “An all-male jury argues over Amy's fate.”
Season Three takes a major left turn here. Instead of the usual mix of short gags/sketches, this episode consists almost entirely of a parody of 1957’s 12 Angry Men, one that includes guest spots from Paul Giamatti, John Hawkes and Dennis Quaid. (This marks Quaid’s second appearance this year, as he played a police chief in “Cool With It”.)
“Angry” provides a daring choice, and it mostly succeeds. I still reject the notion that Schumer isn’t attractive – the basic premise about which the jury debates – but the parody proves to be effective. It’s easily the best episode so far.
I’m Sorry: “Amy directs a pizza commercial, interviews a gigolo and apologizes for everything.”
After the highs of “Angry”, “Sorry” seems pretty flat. The title sketch – which spoofs the female tendency to constantly apologize – goes nowhere, and other elements lack much zing. Even a guest spot from Schumer’s Trainwreck co-star Bill Hader can’t rescue this disappointing episode.
Babies & Bustiers: “Amy competes in a pageant; breastfeeding a dog; enjoying a pla-dow.”
Season Three rebounds reasonably well with “Babies”. It’s not exactly creative to parody the world of Toddlers and Tiaras, but it’s still amusing, especially since the episode brings in Jennifer Coolidge. A few other sequences amuse and make this a pretty good program.
DISC TWO:
80s Ladies: “Amy rides a mechanical bull, steals a credit card and defends Bill Cosby.”
With only a few misfires, “Ladies” turns into a strong episode, especially in terms of the title bit. It mocks 80s movie clichés and provides some good laughs. The Cosby sequence manages to amuse and make relevant points as well. Throw in a great cameo from Bill Nye and after “Angry”, this offers the season’s best episode to date.
Fight Like a Girl: “Amy gets a mail-order husband; the art of female emotional combat; Amy strips for dogs.”
With most of the sketches related to relationship snags, “Girl” manages reasonable laughs. Some bits work better than others – Justin Long’s guest spot becomes a peak – but the episode seems good overall. I’m especially glad “Girl” mocks both genders.
Foam: “Amy falls in love with her barista, confronts her therapist about her mother and gets decapitated.”
The title sketch offers a delightful parody of flicks like Chocolat, and a few other bits succeed as well. I enjoy the depiction of what happens when women tell guys that they have boyfriends– it’s ridiculous but it amuses and scores some points in terms of insight. The rest works less well, unfortunately - especially the therapist sketch, which meanders.
Wingwoman: “Amy travels through time, listens to terrible stories and gives an entire town the clap.”
“Wingwoman” starts well with a “ListenAlert” commercial that’s pretty fun, but it becomes more erratic after that. A sketch about anal sex rambles and goes nowhere, but the title piece entertains, and I like the time travel bit.
3 Buttholes: “Amy dates a guy with a British accent, and she has too many buttonholes.”
Season Three concludes with the relatively limp “Buttholes”. I should’ve figured an episode with that title would flop, and I was right – though the inane title sketch isn’t the only stinker. Pretty much all the program’s bits fail to find much humor, so this becomes a disappointing finish to the year.