3 Thoughts on Trainwreck

1. Is it progressive? - I would say both yes, and, absolutely not. I think it's progressive in that it has a more realistic story for a romantic comedy. It's progressive in that it stars Amy Schumer, who is very beautiful, but looks very different than every single other female headliner of a romantic comedy. But the most progressive thing I found in the movie is its realization that women treat other women like shit, and this needs to stop. This is the part that I will emphasize more about because it's the most important. The point in the movie where Amy goes on a (jealous) tirade about cheerleaders, is the point in the movie where I became very angry at Miss Schumer. Has she not learned that, as a proclaimed feminist, this is the worst thing one can do? Has she not been on the receiving end of said judgement? Then, to my complete and utter shock, at the end of the movie, Amy realizes that she is wrong. I won't ruin the ending, but I will say that it's probably the first time that an over-the-top, cheesy, romantic ending made me tear up, and it had nothing to do with the romance. It was because Amy embraced and supported other women (and they did the same for her). Other than that, I would say everything about it is very "typical". Yes, the gender roles are reversed in the beginning, but that doesn't really last very long. It ends just how every other romantic comedy ends. If it wants to be progressive, then have the female character stick to her values. Why can't she fall in love and still believe that marriage (and monogamy) isn't realistic? It doesn't end with the couple getting married, having children, and living "happily ever after", but I think that's the implication with Amy's sudden change of heart, and that's what irks me. 

2. Is it funny? - Not nearly as funny as I was led to believe. I don't think I even really laughed at all. I've never seen any of Amy's stand-up or her show, even though it's been highly recommended to me. I read about her act; and I don't really find the whole "dumb blond" thing funny, even if it is with a satirical twist. I did see her recently on The Tonight Show, and I thought she seemed very down-to-earth, yet extremely confident (I think that's a hard combination to find in women), which is why I decided to give Trainwreck a watch. She's clever, and the movie is clever, but I just didn't really find anything original about the comedy. There aren't any scenes that really stand-out, and most scenes that are funny are about 5 minutes too long (which might be more of an Apatow issue. On a side-note, isn't it weird that they advertised this as "from the guy who brought you Bridesmaids"? Sure, he was a producer, but that's now how anyone knows Judd Apatow.). John Cena and LeBron James are given extremely hilarious material, but it's over-used.

3. Is it good? - Just because I didn't find it laugh-out-loud funny, doesn't mean I didn't like it. I thought it was really cute. There are moments that I really relate to, which I wasn't expecting - like how uncomfortable she is with cuddling. It was like watching myself onscreen. I've literally had that conversation before ("I can still feel you breathing" and I actually have a body pillow that I will put between me and the other person so that they don't touch me. I know I'm a weirdo, but I need my personal space when I sleep.). I liked Amy's relationship with her father. I think that most movies about father/daughter relationships are told more from Amy's sister's perspective ("He cheated on our mother; therefore, he is an asshole"), but that always bothers me because he is still there for them. Amy still holds him in high regards, even if he is an asshole, and it gave the movie a beating heart - plus Colin Quinn is aces. I also really like that her sister is in a happy marriage. It makes Amy's judgement of marriage a little more complicated. Don't get me wrong; I judge marriage, but my judgement comes from the consistent claims, from every married woman that I know, that I am lucky to be single. I literally don't personally know anyone in a "happy" marriage, so I freely judge these people. Why are you choosing to be miserable? Anyway, as you can tell, this movie has a lot to talk about. It's filled with complicated views on love, marriage, family, feminism, sex, and now that I've written it all down, I change my answer to "Fuck yes" it is progressive.