‘I Feel Pretty’ does not get ugly enough
Amy Schumer’s comedy treads too lightly with its digs at beauty industry
The Amy Schumer vehicle “I Feel Pretty” tackles a very real epidemic — the crisis of confidence. Low self-esteem is part of the human condition for people of any age, gender or race, but it’s particularly virulent and destructive for young women, resulting in eating disorders, imposter syndrome, plastic surgery, and a host of other issues.
Writing-directing duo Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein take on this issue in a high-concept comedy with the notion that it’s all in your head. “Change your mind, change your life,” chants a SoulCycle instructor, Luna (Angela M. Davis, a real-life celebrity instructor whose motivational speeches have inspired Beyonce and Oprah on the bike). What if we all just woke up one day and decided to be confident?
Renee (Schumer) is crippled by low self-esteem. She’s obsessed with beauty — and her own perceived lack of it. When she takes a tumble from her SoulCycle bike, the head injury makes her think she’s hot stuff. She scores her dream job and gets the guy, thanks to a simple attitude adjustment. It’s a powerful depiction of just what that kind of mentality shift can do. The way Renee loves herself makes people love
her in kind.
But despite this inherently positive message, “I Feel Pretty” bungles the execution. Schumer might not be a supermodel, but she still benefits from being an average-size blond white woman, and therefore, isn’t quite the right performer for the role. The way the modelesque women who populate the beauty company Lily LeClair recoil in horror from Renee is implausible at best (though Michelle Williams is inspired in her very specific fashionista performance choices). Her self-love is believable, but the way some people react
to that doesn’t ring true.
“I Feel Pretty” falters from some serious structural instability, too. Renee is required to undergo a few drastic personality changes along the way, but in an undercooked subplot with her friends, played by Busy Philipps and Aidy Bryant, it’s as if she has multiple personality disorder.
“I Feel Pretty” does succeed in its charming romance. Stand-up comedian Rory Scovel makes his leading man debut, and he’s the breakout of the movie. His Ethan is also insecure, and what draws him to Renee is her sheer confidence. “Can I be you when I grow up?” he asks her in awe. The romance is a bright spot that feels real in an otherwise muddled film.
“I Feel Pretty” is imperfect, but it can spark important conversations about confidence and the way we feel about ourselves. Unfortunately, it sacrifices some of its radical potential to tie everything up in a nice, pretty bow.