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There comes a time in every comedian’s movie life to veer toward the dramatic. Adam Sandler traded in goofy The Waterboy antics for Punch-Drunk Love. Steve Carell made us laugh in The Office, then freaked us out with his Oscar-nominated role in Foxcatcher. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences also took notice of Eddie Murphy in Dreamgirls years after he was arguably the biggest comedy star of the 1980s.
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Now Amy Schumer is dipping into serious stories with her role in the drama Thank You for Your Service (in theaters Friday), which follows a group of soldiers back from Iraq as they struggle with PTSD and reacclimating to home life. And she’s doing so just five months after unleashing semen jokes and over-the-top high jinks with Goldie Hawn in the forgettable Snatched.
So does Schumer, who won an Emmy for her Comedy Central sketch show, stand out in her dramatic debut? Well, not really — though that’s kind of the beauty of her small supporting role. Wearing no makeup, dressed down and eschewing blond hair for brown, Schumer plays Amanda Doster, a war widow and mom who appears early in the story. She pulls Adam Schumann (Miles Teller) aside — before he can even greet his own family — to plead for information about how her husband died. “Did he suffer? I need to know,” she says, trying to keep her emotions in check.
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What actually happened is a mystery that plays out through the film, and Schumer’s character is essential to Adam coming to grips with his own war experiences, even if she just shows up a handful of sequences. The moving and surprisingly well-crafted Service is full of performances that aren’t showy but weave together powerfully, with Schumer definitely putting in solid work.
The soldiers’ suicidal thoughts and betrayal by loved ones add to the weight of the overall piece, but Schumer’s role is also interestingly timely, considering the recent news cycle: Amanda’s yearning for the truth mirrors similar questions raised by the widow of Army Sgt. La David Johnson, one of four American soldiers killed by extremists in an ambush in Niger.
It actually tracks with Schumer's offscreen personality. In addition to being funny, she has a habit of tackling real-world issues on social media, such as gun control and human trafficking. Even with a small role, her appearance potentially brings in those in her fan base who might be more apt to see a movie that tackles problems returning veterans face daily if she’s in it.
In that sense, Schumer might be of service in more ways than just showcasing some strong, untapped acting chops.
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