I Feel Pretty

photo courtesy of teaser-trailer.com

SPOILER-FREE REVIEW

     Amy Schumer embarks on a comedic experiment in I Feel Pretty. The movie follows Rennee Barrett (Schumer), who runs the website for Lily Le Claire, a major cosmetics brand. Barrett struggles with insecurities about her appearance… until an injury to the head makes her believe she’s drop-dead gorgeous. Brimming with newfound confidence, she takes bold new steps in romance, friendships, and her career.

     I Feel Pretty is a perplexing creative misfire. Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein, the movie’s writers and directors, want to tell a funny story with a heartwarming, affirming, self-empowering message, but they don’t seem to believe in their own product. Without a strong rudder, I Feel Pretty flounders from the opening moments.

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     At its best, the movie represents a shift for Schumer—a changing comedic voice from a comedian embracing a more authentic, personal approach. I Feel Pretty isn’t just a vehicle for Schumer to be silly, raunchy, or physically dynamic (though it does give her a chance to do those things), it’s a chance for her to tap into a wider emotional range. Her performance, alongside Michelle Williams, Aidy Bryant, and Rory Scovel, lends the movie a crucial degree of humanity, without which the movie’s several genuinely touching scenes might easily be hindered.

     But Schumer’s good intentions only go so far. There are some problems on a technical level, as when a perfectly good opening scene at SoulCycle—which is later the site of her injury—gets spoiled through noncommittal directing. Beyond that, there are foundational creative choices that stifle the movie’s emotional potential, such as the choice to have Barrett’s epiphany come as the result of a literal blow to the head, or the choice to have Barrett’s new self-assurance be in tension with reality (despite her ardent protestations, Barrett’s body is the same as before the injury). The intention may be to convey the idea that self-empowerment comes from within, but if so, I Feel Pretty undercuts that message by having its protagonist rely on false and/or coincidental impressions of herself.

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     What’s more, the filmmakers underscore this central dichotomy at every chance. They frequently play Schumer's ostentatious attitude for laughs, as in one scene where she participates in a bikini contest. And for the majority of the movie’s runtime, the supporting cast regularly emphasizes her looks, pointing out how her confidence is unwarranted (with the notable exception of Rory Scovel's Ethan). Then, when the movie wants to do an about-face and proclaim the good news of self-positive thinking, the moral feels at odds with the rest of Barrett's experience. One wonders if the movie’s well-intentioned message wouldn’t have been better delivered through another premise less laden with inadvertent irony—and, ideally, a premise with a bit more subtlety, too.

Watch the trailer here.

photo courtesy of hollywoodreporter.com