Checked out Amy Schumer’s new movie I Feel Pretty. This one is not, surprisingly, written by her but by the team who wrote such rom com classics as Never Been Kissed, How to be Single, He’s Just Not That Into You, and The Vow. I suspect your traction on I Feel Pretty may depend heavily on how much you enjoyed these earlier films. I largely did not love them… but I still found something to enjoy in this new flick.
Amy Schumer plays a marginally successful woman who only marginally likes herself… that’s before she watches Big and makes a wish to be thin and pretty (which does not work). Later she has a spinning class accident, bonks her head, and wakes up thinking she’s as thin and pretty as she wanted to be… thus creating an occasion for 120 minutes of fat jokes. Or, as it turns out, mainly a film about how cool and sexy self-confidence can be… and a handful of fat jokes.
The theme of the movie is definitely about loving yourself, regardless of how you look (or, maybe how others will love you if you have the confidence to not give a damn about what you look like). But it still gets a lot of traction over the difference between how Schumer acts, how she looks, and how everyone else is startled by the difference. It’s a film that wants to have its cake and eat it too. So to speak.
I didn’t laugh much at this comedy… though I suspect someone of the female persuasion will get more out of it. But that doesn’t mean the message about confidence doesn’t work. And the romantic angle is also cute and enjoyable. I also found myself appreciating the dialog when it goes into full misunderstanding mode. The film’s premise and the dialog could be from an 80s sitcom but manages to pull it off without SOUNDING or feeling like an 80s sitcom. That’s a pretty good high-wire act when dealing with ridiculous misunderstandings.
So I’m off a mixed mind on the movie but come out thinking its a worth film for its messaging, regardless of whether I thought it was funny or not. Others may laugh more at the jokes and feel like the flick is a home run. And I’m good with that – I think the movie deserves to find its audience.
Score: 78