Judd Apatow is the director of The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, This is 40, and, most recently, the Amy Schumer-penned comedy Trainwreck. If you've seen Apatow's movies (including the ones he's written and produced), you may have noticed that they tend to have a vein of conservatism and traditional values running through them. Mostly, this works--for example, The 40-Year-Old Virgin had the perfect mixture of vulgar humor and sweet romance. Sometimes, however, I give his movies the ol' side-eye. In Knocked Up, a film about a pregnancy resulting from a one-night stand, those who recommend abortion as a solution are presented as cruel and shallow. (If you think that abortion would be a terrible element to add to a romantic comedy, please see the wonderful Obvious Child).
Likewise, Trainwreck has some oddly conservative moments. But luckily, with Amy Schumer's script, the film finds that sweet spot of edgy and vulnerable humor.
There is no comedian who I feel captures my view of the world quite like Amy Schumer. Her humor is extremely sexual, but in a clever way. She's self-deprecating, but with a wink that lets us know she actually likes herself (I think. I hope.) She's a feminist, but a flawed one. She's gotten some shit for her early years working her way up through the male-dominated world of comedy by being "one of the guys". She's also gotten shit for the occasional racist joke in her repertoire. But faced with that criticism, she's responded not by becoming defensive or by doubling-down on the troubling jokes, but by evolving into more sly and knowing humor.
The point is, I fucking love Amy Schumer. And Trainwreck is a great showcase for her gifts.
Trainwreck is strongly autobiographical. Schumer plays Amy, with a sister named Kim, and a father who suffers from Multiple sclerosis whom she loves deeply. The real life Schumer also has a sister named Kim and a father who had MS. Unlike many other romantic sex comedies, family figures largely into Trainwreck, and not in an annoying "rapping granny" kind of way, but in a relatable, realistic way. One of the main subplots involves Amy and Kim arguing about moving their dad to a cheaper nursing home. Amy may sleep around, get blackout drunk, and smoke pot to escape anxiety, but she's a deeply caring daughter.
There is a whiff of wish fulfillment here: a perfect guy--he's got money, a fabulous job, he's mature, he's terribly kind and understanding--being totally committed to an immature, emotionally messy, kind of mean woman. But at the same time, haven't we seen a ton of movies where some pot-smoking man-boy gets the hot, perfect chick? (see Knocked Up). If we're willing to believe that kind of match can work out, we need to believe in this match, with the genders reversed. Well, we don't need to, but it's only fair to to give it equal weight. Some people get mad when "feminism" includes letting women be fucked up and vulgar. But I say fuck that! Feminism IS about not expecting perfection from women. And if you think women are morally better than men, well fuck you. They aren't.
Can you tell I'm a bit defensive of Trainwreck? Bitch Magazine ran some online articles criticizing Trainwreck for its casually racist jokes, and, indeed, there are some real clunkers in there (such as when Vanessa Bayer, Amy's work friend, tells a sexy, black, male nurse that she "dated a black guy in high school...and would do it again"). But when they criticized Amy's SPOILER ALERT --
tearful eulogy at her dad's funeral, where she admits that he was a racist, heavy-drinker asshole, as well as a loving father and hilarious friend. Well, Bitch can go fuck itself*. That's literally what every person who has ever lived is: a mix of good and bad traits. I think that scene was deeply emotional, for Amy Schumer as well as the audience. To have the guts to stand up and tell the world that your dead parent wasn't close to perfect, but you loved them anyway. It's beautiful.
/end spoiler
This is why I loved Trainwreck so much. It wasn't 100% raunchy sex comedy (although there is plenty of that, and I loved it). It also is about some real shit.
If you are not watching Amy Schumer's TV show, Inside Amy Schumer, then go seek it out immediately. Not only is it hilarious, it--like Trainwreck--is about real life shit. It's feminist without being a Buzz Killington. It's raunchy without being dumb. Schumer is clever, subversive, and relatable. And she makes the world a slightly better place to live.
Grade: A-
* Bitch is actually an excellent magazine/website that exists specifically to examine pop culture through a feminist lens and offer criticism. I don't always agree with their articles, but I read it religiously and promote it 100%.
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