I FEEL PRETTY - A Review by Cynthia Flores

I FEEL PRETTY – A Review by Cynthia Flores

Amy Schumer shines in this PG-13 rated hilarious new comedy called I Feel Pretty. Because of her body of work I never thought that Amy Schumer would actually be able to do anything other than R-rated or very blue comedy. However, in her new film she manages to be even funnier and probably more accessible to teenage girls that need to see this message-film wrapped up in a silly plot.

I Feel Pretty tells the story of Renee Bennett (Amy Schumer) a twenty-something woman living in NYC who struggles with feelings of deep insecurity and low self-esteem about her looks. She is constantly comparing herself to the models that run around the city. These negative thoughts hold her back everyday and keep her from even applying for her dream job of being a receptionist at Lilly LeClaire in the glamorous downtown headquarters. She already works for the company as a monitor for their internet presence, but it’s at a remote location in a dingy little basement in Chinatown and the only other person there is her coworker Mason (Adrian Martinez), a chubby anti-social IT guy that’s happy being left alone to keep the website up and running. She is a dreamer and in a rainstorm throws a coin into the fountain hoping some magic, like that in a movie she was watching, would happen to her to change her into a beautiful woman because as she states, “just once I would like to know what it feels like to be truly beautiful.” The coin doesn't work, so she takes a spinning class at a place called Soul Cycle to work on her body. As the instructor is getting the class ready to work out their minds as well as their bodies, she has them all yell along with her positive affirmations. Renee is yelling along as well when her shoe slips loose from the pedal clip and she falls down hard and hits her head knocking her unconscious. When she wakes up something has changed in her perception of herself, she sees herself in the mirror and thinks her wish from the coin has been granted because now she is beautiful! Everyone else, including her friends Vivian (Aidy Bryant) and Jane (Busy Philipps), just see the same person they have always known but Renee sees the most beautiful and capable woman on the planet. Her new confidence empowers her to live fearlessly and go after her dreams. She actually applies and gets the receptionist job she does not really have the traditional looks for at Lily LeClaire because Avery LeClaire (Michelle Williams) is won over by her confidence. She wins the heart of Ethan (Rory Scovel) by being so bold and open to love. And she also hits a few bumps along the way. You will just have to see the film to know how it all works out. Suffice it to say Renee still has a few lessons to learn about beauty and where it truly comes from.

This movie was written and directed by the team of Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein. They’ve worked as writers and producers together before on some really good chick flicks such as How To Be Single and The Vow. I Feel Pretty marks their directorial debut for a feature-length film and I hope there are a lot more to come. As a side note, Marc got to work with his wife who plays the part of Jane.

I Feel Pretty could have gone wrong in so many ways, message-movies can feel heavy handed most of the time. It's not a perfect film, but it is a hilarious one. The entire audience I saw it with was laughing at the crazy situations Renee got herself into. They also left the theater feeling empowered, so what more can you ask from a comedy.

For that reason I give this movie a solid A rating.

Directed by Abby Kohn, Marc Silverstein

Written By Abby Kohn, Marc Silverstein

Rated PG-13

Selig Rating A

Running Time 1hr 50min

Comedy

Wide Release April 20th

Starring: Amy Schumer, Michelle Williams, Emily Ratajkowski, Tom Hopper, Rory Scovel, Aidy Bryant, Busy Phillips, Adrian Martinez and Lauren Hutton

Movie Site: www.ifeelpretty.movie

The Selig Rating Scale:

A – Excellent movie, well worth the price.