Film review: Trainwreck provides a look into modern dating

Warning: This review may contain some mild spoilers.

Despite having a love/hate relationship with her scoundrel of a father, Gordon Townsend, the one thing Amy Townsend (Amy Schumer) has grown up believing from him is that monogamy isn’t realistic.

He and Amy’s mom broke up due to infidelity when Amy was young. As such, she gets drunk and stoned frequently in her pursuit of indiscriminate sex, with an unstated rule that there is no sleeping over once the sex is over. Her current “boyfriend,” Steven (John Cena), believes they are exclusive, not knowing that she sleeps with other men. Working at sensationalistic magazine S’nuff under head sensationalist Dianna (Tilda Swinton), Amy is in line for a promotion she is certain to get if her next story meets Dianna’s scrutiny.

That story is a profile of sports doctor to the stars, Dr. Aaron Conners (Bill Hader), despite Amy knowing nothing about sports. To Amy’s amazement, Aaron wants to date her following their first sexual encounter. His sexual history, in terms of quantity, is an extreme contrast to her own. Also to her amazement, she wants to date him; the entire ritual of being the one person in another person’s life is a foreign concept to her. The road to a happy ending for the two is not guaranteed as their very different sexual histories and very different perspectives on sexual life may make them incompatible despite truly liking each other as people. Ensuring that his man, Aaron, is happy and doesn’t get hurt in the process is someone who seems to take Aaron’s personal life even more to heart than he does: LeBron James.

The chemistry between Amy and Aaron is very realistic with the typical relationship that happens in our society. With social media and dating apps, relationships are constant on-and-off/come-and-go where it’s hard to commit and it’s hard to try that commitment. We give it a couple dates or get-togethers and just when you think there could be something there, either you or the other person doesn’t see it working and continues with their trend of still talking to other people.

This film is very relatable to me because I have a hard time committing to someone because of what I’ve been through in my past. There is a point in which Amy’s character just loses it and breaks down in realization that her lifestyle, her judgments, her complete fear of a loving relationship, is only hiding deeper feelings, fears, and troubles. It was completely relatable.

By connecting her own life to Trainwreck, Schumer makes the movie relatable. She connects her personal life with her acting life by not changing her name, hairstyle, fashion, and most importantly, her sarcastic ways. Schumer acts like an average woman who sometimes has a bad day, sometimes has a breakup, and sometimes wants to have some fun. This brings the audience’s attention toward her because she is not like the typical actress who changes their personality, style, cakes on the makeup, and is strutting around like a model. She is down to earth and real about life.

Schumer also plays her role superbly by being realistic. Schumer is real in her relationship with Aaron; they fight, they make up, they break-up, and they take their time. In no way do they have a perfect relationship, which keeps the audience engaged because they might actually be able to relate to the type of love interest.

Trainwreck shows that life is not perfect, but laughing may be the only way to overcome it. The acting is real and the jokes are personal. This movie is a must-see if you’re into funny, down to earth, cheesy comedies.

If you are not an Amy Schumer fan or don’t think her humor is funny, I’d still suggest that you watch this movie. It’s an adult classic comedy without being a chick flick.