There is nothing family friendly about a film like Trainwreck, Apatow’s latest rom com. Most of the people reading this will probably find something wildly offensive within five minutes of the opening scene, and at closely-spaced regular intervals thereafter. (…) But I have to qualify this by pointing out that Trainwreck – like previous Apatow comedies such as Knocked Up, This is 40 and The 40-Year-Old Virgin
– ultimately endorses basic family values that you’ll easily recognize well before the final credits roll. (…) Aaron has become friends with many of his clients, which include NBA stars like Amar’e Stoudemire and LeBron James. While Amy and her friends share gossip and numb recaps of their nights before, Aaron and LeBron have touchingly vulnerable talks about their feelings and emotional goals; this emotional role reversal is the best running joke in Trainwreck, and a very subversive countersroke to tropes like “rape culture,” “yes means yes,” Slutwalk and “one in five,” which have turned public discourse on men, women, dating and marriage into an awful caricature of male beastliness and helpless femininity.
Rick McGinnis: ‘Trainwreck’ and the rom-com tradition
