Hi Scott -- I see this as a coming of age story for Amy. I agree that her father sets up the central force creating the dilemma, but I see it as a metaphor for the whole social environment young women find themselves in. Amy and her sister are yin and yang. I also think there's a strong storyline here about her employment, and wanting to be ambitious and reach for the things she thinks she should want and reach for, but she always seems somewhat uncomfortable with the situation she finds herself in at work. She is more or less bullied by her boss, who is attractive and repellent at the same time. She ends up going from the gross men's magazine (which is an obvious caricature), to Vanity Fair, which is the real deal -- this seems like a journey to me as well. Now that I think about it, it seems like Amy's whole life progresses from a grotesque cartoon to something resembling real life. I think that if her father did not die, Amy still would have made this transformation, it just might have taken longer. She seems fairly cleared eyed when it comes to her Dad, but she loves him anyway -- which is lovely. Anyway -- that was a bit stream of consiousness, but there you have it! Cheers!

I noticed the theme that life, and especially love, cannot be played by predetermined rules. In the film's onset, Amy is living a, "this is how this goes," mentality. There's not much room for improvisation, and each move, in Amy's mind, has an assigned meaning and prescribed response. (He wants my number = he's trying to date me. He called the next day? He's a psychopath) Aaron, on the other hand, seems to take things one step at a time, roll with the punches, act in response to his feeling of the situation at hand. That's how he wound up with his current job (one thing led to another led to another), and that is how he addresses his relationship with Amy. (I called you because I had fun last night. We should date because we like each other.) The time that Aaron tries to play love by his parents' rule, "Never go to bed angry," it backfires in a major way. When they have their first big fight at the banquet, Amy sees it as, "this is a fight. fight=breakup," as opposed to Aaron's view, "I'm mad, so now I'm telling you I'm mad," sans predetermined outcome. Amy eventually learns to take a step back from her set equations, and start feeling her way into things, and based on her specific relationship with Aaron, and the feelings and apologies she wants to express to him, she finds a really heartfelt, creative way to win him back.

Susan, that is quite an apt take: A coming of age story for Amy. The message from her father -- "Monogamy is reasonable" -- combined with a cultural context for young single women nowadays creates circumstances in which Amy begins her journey from a rather - for lack of a better word - immature perspective. We see this in the set of scenes in which she and Aaron have an argument. Her initial instinct is the argument means they are breaking up. She's not experienced enough to know that is just a part of what being in a meaningful, long-term relationship is about. So yes, I think it's fair to say that Amy's journey is one of growing up.

Hey, Alexis, great minds think alike! We both cited the argument between Amy and Aaron as an example of Amy being confined by her rather narrow, uninformed view of relationships. And your point about Amy having "set equations" syncs up with a similar idea I posited: That Amy has these 'tapes' playing in her mind and her journey is in part to get beyond that restrictive messaging. Can't wait to see the next movie Schumer does. She's a real talent! Thanks, Alexis, for your observations! We've had a terrific week of discussions about Trainwreck.

Cool feedback so far on this one. ;-) One other thing I see popping up in this film is so subtle, I'm not even sure I know how to articulate it properly. In fact, Susan might be saying the same thing! In a lot of Amy's comedy, she's constantly showing us ourselves. For example, in skits where she's mocking society's view of women, she'll also subtly illustrate how -- in fighting against those viewpoints -- we can behave as despicably as those we're mocking. The spotlight is and should be on us. Take Amy's distaste in the film for anyone with a different lifestyle than her own: cheerleaders, sports folk, nerds -- they're all targets for mockery. Yet Amy wants to enjoy life free of criticism herself. It doesn't balance out. In the end, she puts aside her prejudices and sees each group for who they are. Her father, in contrast she sees as beautiful from the start - regardless of his flaws. It's an impressive flip. I always find Amy wanting us to ask of ourselves: "who's throwing stones at who?" It's perfect subtext. Along those same lines, Amy may be asking us (as you are, Scott!) to consider from where her viewpoint on monogamy originates. If we're to assume Amy's take is dictated by the viewpoint of her father, than why does Kim not share it? Also, it's Amy's colleague who suggests Aaron's behavior is off when he calls ... not Amy. Amy appears puzzled, but in her acting she seems more curious and surprised, than put off. So is Amy's viewpoint against monogamy truly her own (given to her by her father)? Or, is she (as an individual) choosing a path those in her circle feel is appropriate (with her father's direction offered as proof)? Who is really deciding for her, and who is right? We don't know ... and, that, I think, is part of what makes Amy's work so brilliant. To your question, Scott, at the close ... I'd agree with Susan, that as with most real people, Amy would have moved on eventually. Life usually succeeds in knocking us out of false perceptions before it's too late. At least, I hope that's the case! ;-) Love Amy Schumer ... a true talent, in so many ways!

You make such a great point, Doc, and it points to one of the great values of comedy: To hold up a mirror to our culture and through humor expose flaws, foibles, etc. And that's one reason I think Amy Schumer is such a national treasure because she is willing to go at some really highly charged arenas. Her 12 Angry Men sketch wherein guys debate whether Amy is "fuckable" or not gets at so many issues of concern to women and men. As to your other comments, at an existential level, every movie poses this question of its main characters, especially the Protagonist: Who are you? And that is precisely what Amy is confronted with answering, whether she is conscious of the process or not. Is she her father's daughter to the extent that Independent Amy doesn't exist? And if she is her father's daughter, what does that mean exactly? Can she still love him, but separate herself from his monogamy propaganda? Is she a writer who can write schlocky crap or will she embrace her higher creative angels and work for, say, Vanity Fair? I will be real interested to talk with my college students when classes resume next week, ask them what they thought of Trainwreck. I'll bet most of them loved it, much in the same way they have embraced the HBO series "Girls". Amy Schumer is a "true talent". She's also helping to foment cultural conversations on a host of important subjects.