"Trainwreck"

“Trainwreck” is a romantic comedy starring Amy Schumer. Coincidentally, she plays the role of Amy, who has never felt the need to commit to a relationship, until she meets a sports doctor, Aaron Connors. They both fall in love, causing Amy to reconsider her sentiments towards relationships and straighten out her priorities.

In line with the Aristotelian definition of a romantic comedy, the two lovers of “Trainwreck” are initially kept away by an obstacle, which is Amy’s fear of commitment. Eventually, they are able to overcome this obstacle as *SPOILER* Amy confesses her love, willingness to work through their relationship, and displays a grandiose love gesture on the basketball courts. Amy’s humorous imperfections characterize her as an “ordinary person”, who struggles with love just like everyone else.

Although “Trainwreck” possesses the characteristics of an Aristotelian comedy, I find it difficult to defend as a meaningful art form. Other than the lessons on the unpredictability of love and the ultimate need for human connection, there seems to be no deeper meaning in the movie. Even the lessons stated above feel like too deep a search into the move, as its purpose is for mere laughs and relatability. Does the character grow and overcome an obstacle? Yes. Is she charming in her initial flaws? Yes. Do I feel like I have a greater insight into the human condition? No.

That being said, "Trainwreck" may be an exception to the meaningfulness of comedies overall. There are certain comedies that are distinguishable as feel-good movies (many of which come from modern day) that fail to have a deeper meaning. However, to me, a lot of older comedies seem to have meaningful insight, and therefore make me hesitant to dismiss the genre of comedies as a whole.