A Field Guide to Vanessa Bayer

July 30, 2015
HOLLY-KINGSTOWN

OMG, if you have not seen "Trainwreck", you should. It is definitely a fun date movie and it stars Vanessa Bayer as star/writer Amy Schumer's best friend at the men's magazine they both write for. Bayer is hilarious in the movie and is a realistic BFF to Schumer, even though they had never met before Bayer auditioned for the role in Schumer's flick. Bayer is hilarious in general and her comedy is completely worth your time.

Bayer is from Ohio and fought through leukemia as a child and in in her senior year of high school in 2000, she was voted "Most Likely To Succeed. She went to college at the University of Pittsburgh where she majored in communications and French. One of her classmates at at the time was fellow comedian Whitney Cummings. (Funny how people cross paths, you know?) She got her BA while still in school, she went on into the wonderful world of being an intern. She started out on the street...."Sesame Street', actually and from there went to "Late Night with Conan O'Brian" where she truly started to find her voice in comedy. Bayer was also a cast member of Bloomers, an all-female collegiate sketch and musical comedy group out of her college.

She went on to join Second City in Chicago where she met and worked with SNL cast member Paul Brittain for the first time (again, funny how paths cross) and she was a member of Second City's Jewish-themed comedy music cleverly titled "Jewsical: The Musical", which was filled with perspectives on being Jewish in this fine country of ours. She also did improv with The ImprovOlympic and the Annoyance Theatre.

In 2010, she became a full cast member of "Saturday Night Live", which is really fucking hard to do. A lot of people want it but so few get there. In 2012, she became part of the primary cast and her work has made her a reliably, regularly funny part of the show. Her characters are hilarious.

Here she is as "Brecky"--the former porn star who shills expensive crap alongside fellow main cast member Cecily Strong and in this sketch, guest host Jonah Hill. Who wouldn't want to feel they are getting the rim job?

Bayer is great as the over-enthused, weird hippie poetry teacher "Mrs. Meadows" in this sketch with SNL guest host Cameron Diaz.

And then there is, perhaps, her best sketch, Jacob the Bar Mitzvah boy. Not sexy but fucking great. Go Yankees?

A lot of critics refer to Bayer as one of the show's stronger players and last year, she was nominated for an American Comedy Award for her work on "Saturday Night Live". Other shows she has made brief appearances on include "The Mindy Project", "Portlandia" and "Comedy Bang! Bang!"

Bayer's film appearances before "Trainwreck are pretty few. Her first role in a movie was the lead in the improv-themed film "Off The Cuff" in 2009/. She had a bit role as a waitress in the indie teen boy coming-of-age comedy "Adventures In The Sin Bin", which is a fun rental if you have not seen it. (The "bin" is an old hockey van that the teenage boys try to turn into their hookup spot on wheels.) She is set to star in an indie comedy "Carrie Pillby" later this year.

Bayer is a pretty, strong funny girl that you need to keep your eyes peeled for and she will always make you smile. I adore her for that and be sure to check out "Trainwreck" while it is still in the theaters. Bayer's character is the wing woman we all deserve in this Judd Apatow-directed comedy and it will give you a great night out.