In Trainwreck, Amy Schumer plays, fittingly, Amy, a pragmatic career woman working at a magazine called Snuff. In the office, Amy and her colleagues vie for the attention and approval of their high-maintenance boss (played by Tilda Swinton in a wig and a shovelful of makeup). Snuff is a salacious men's magazine, featuring articles such as "Ranking the Ugliest Celebrity Kids" and "How To Jerk Off At Work" (tested by Jon Glaser's journalist character, of course.) But if we're being honest, those aren't that outrageous in comparison to some of the stuff we've all seen in many other popular publications. So is Snuff magazine in Trainwreck based on any real one?
Alas, like many other publications in TV and film, Amy's magazine is totally fictitious, and not based on any one publication in particular. It does, however, have some similarities to Esquire, GQ, and, perhaps most predominantly, Maxim. The Trainwreck team clearly pulled from many examples to create a caricature of the magazine industry. Intimidating boss who vaguely resembles Anna Wintour? Check. Features such as "does garlic make semen taste any different?" Check. A host of zany coworkers (in this case, played by Vanessa Bayer, Ezra Miller, Randall Park, and Glaser)? Check. These are all plot tools audiences have seen utilized before, but they come together in Trainwreck to create something which is both unique and hilarious. Here are a few other fake magazines in TV and film which made us laugh, cry, and rethink our own reading habits.
1. Composure Magazine
Kate Hudson's workplace in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days was a women's magazine where all articles had to be "upbeat!" — even the ones titled "Botox for Beginners" and "What Your Gyno Won't Tell You."
2. Runway Magazine
In The Devil Wears Prada, Anne Hathaway's character endures a huge amount of emotional stress trying to please her tyrannical boss at a famous fashion magazine. The magazine is widely believed to be inspired by Vogue, with the terrifying editor Miranda (played by the amazing Meryl Streep) based on Anna Wintour. Although the film is in many ways a scathing commentary on the fashion industry, Wintour praised the movie and Streep's performance in particular.
3. MODE Magazine
Although there actually was a magazine called MODE, most people think of the name as being synonymous with the show Ugly Betty. America Ferrara's character climbs the ranks at this high-fashion magazine despite the fact that the first question she was asked upon walking into the office was, "Are you the 'Before'?"
4. Alette Magazine
In Confessions of a Shopaholic, Isla Fisher's character dreams of getting hired at an exclusive fashion magazine called Alette. Instead, she lands a job at a smaller publication called Successful Savings — even though the cover letter she mailed them was intended for Alette.
Although all of these magazines were created for film, they are a reminder of how ridiculous real magazines can get; both in terms of the content and the process of making them. See for yourself how Trainwreck, out July 17, takes a tongue-in-cheek approach to the topic of the magazine industry. Just don't expect to see Snuff on shelves in your grocery store anytime soon.
Images: Paramount Pictures; 20th Century Fox; Walt Disney Studios (2)
