I Feel Pretty carries a wonderful message with part of you leaving feeling better about yourself, a new-found confidence maybe. Like maybe that extra bread roll at dinner will be ok. Maybe those tight jeans won’t burn a permanent image into everyone’s retinas. But it also makes you stop and think about how you act yourself towards people in tight jeans when maybe they shouldn’t or people having one extra bread roll when they probably shouldn’t have even had the first. Confidence itself is pretty, even sexy.
However the strong message is in I Feel Pretty, it doesn’t change the fact that this film is disjointed, boring and lacks any connectivity to its viewer. Like the films before it who have tackled this topic: Shallow Hal, BIG or any other body swapping movie I Feel Pretty doesn’t quite seem completely thought through. It feels like it flows through its 1 hour 50 minutes just ticking boxes with no real question as to how or why the story is what it is. And how on Earth would she not tell someone what’s happened. It’s only the audience who has any idea what’s going on. And when Renee finally realises what’s happened there is no calculation of the situation.
Renee played by Amy Schumer (Trainwreck, Snatched, Inside Amy Schumer) is by all means your average woman. Working in IT for a major beauty company Renee doesn’t seem to have much going for her. Hanging out with her friends at the bar deciding group dating is something that could work for them. Renee decides to head to a spin class in an effort to make some changes about herself. Sadly, her attempt to be healthy doesn’t end well for her and she hits her head, only to wake as a new woman.
Despite not changing anything about herself, Renee sees herself as an entirely new person and with that comes a new-found confidence. She finds love, starts making ground at her workplace and her confidence becomes infections to those around her. Until the goes too far and insults her friends. It isn’t until she bumps her head again that she realises she was always the same person.
Amy Schumer falls naturally into this role, playing a plus sized woman as it’s part of her usual comedy story. While her comedic delivery is on point and seems to open up a scene for everyone else to have some fun on a comedic level, Schumer wasn’t able to demand the same attention for any of her dramatic scenes. Sadly, it’s this that takes away from the film which in turn just lets it flow through without any connection.
Alongside Schumer is Michelle Williams who seems to be in just about everything at the moment. But Williams completely and utterly nails this role which is something unusual for her to play. Williams plays Avery LeClaire the heiress to her Grandmother’s beauty company and boss to Renee who ends up creating a position for her as she’s the target audience of a new range. From her look to her voice Williams will have you in stitches as you watch her try and fail to make a name for herself.
The love interest of Schumer’s character is Ethan played by Rory Scovel (The House, Those Who Can’t, Wrecked). Scovel plays the male version of Schumer. He’s insecure with his body and some of the things he does like his fitness class isn’t your average activity for a man. But from this insecurity comes a real wake up that men are in the same boat as women when it comes to insecurities. Scovel manages to tap into this very desirable average guy that you can’t help but hope it all works out for him.
This isn’t your normal romantic comedy nor is it a normal comedy. It’s rather cringeworthily at times and for the most part feels like it’s half an idea with a lot of money. But where this film succeeds is in it’s very real message ever more relevant when body image for men and women is topical. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and confidence is easily sexier. While rushing out to see this wouldn’t be suggested, it is worth seeing at some point even if it’s just a reminder that you are who you are and someone will love you for you and so should you.
