Amy Schumer and Goldie Hawn Create Comedic Vengeance in ‘Snatched’

Alex Aronson

A mother and daughter must face their differences and endure a wild and unusual adventure in “Snatched.” The hilarious Amy Schumer and Goldie Hawn vehicle, directed by Jonathan Levine, (“Warm Bodies” and “The Night Before”), is strengthened by great chemistry offering a fresh and entertaining romp.

After getting dumped by her boyfriend, Emily (Amy Schumer), a young and recently unemployed woman who is more concerned with her Instagram followers than she is with her real life relationships, returns home to her mother, Linda (Goldie Hawn).

Linda is rather reclusive. Living in her secure suburban house with her adult agoraphobic son, Jeffrey (Ike Barinholtz), on whom she waits hand and foot. In a desperate attempt to find someone to take the non-refundable trip to South America with her, Emily invites her mom. She feels that this might get them both out of their current slumps. What could go wrong?

Once the mother/daughter duo reaches their destination, Emily quickly befriends a hot and exotic local man who promises that he can take the two on an amazing adventure the following day.

Reluctantly, Linda partakes, and a South American mobster soon kidnaps the two. From there, the film becomes a road trip of hilarious bits as the two wander the jungle and struggle to return to safety.  Along the way, Emily and Linda realize that working through their differences as mother and daughter is the only way to escape.

It is not uncommon for a comedy film to feature heart, but “Snatched” manages to balance it well – presenting three-dimensional characters with genuine feelings and placing them in wild situations.

The raunchy humor in “Snatched” is familiar territory to Schumer. While the act could easily have felt stale, she manages to deliver a hilariously fresh performance that holds up to par with her veteran co-star.

It’s been two years Amy Schumer broke out in “Trainwreck,” which grossed over $140 million at the box office back in 2015. Since then, the actress/comedian has become among one of the top paid acts in stand-up comedy, starring in two stand-up specials – one for HBO and the other for Netflix. In that time, Schumer also wrote a memoir, “Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo,” which skyrocketed to the top of the best-selling list within a week of its release.

For Hawn, the film marks her first appearance on the big screen in over 15 years. Last seen in “The Banger Sisters,” Hawn needs no time to dust off her skills and has remained as sharp and comedic as she was in her early work. After a lengthy hiatus, “Snatched” is the perfect return vehicle for Hawn – and it is warmly welcomed.

“Snatched” opens in theaters May 12.