I Feel Pretty

In I Feel Pretty, actress/comedian Amy Schumer stars as Renee, an apparently “frumpy” woman suffering from poor body confidence. The protagonist earnestly wishes to become attractive and fortunately for her, this wish is somewhat granted. After hitting her head in spin class, Renee wakes up believing she looks as good as a supermodel and decides to take on the working and dating world – except this time with added confidence.

Directed by Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein, the feature feels like Ugly Betty meets a Nancy Meyers movie – which isn’t to say that there is anything wrong with any of those things, but the picture firmly beholds itself to being a feel-good comedy where everyone learns something nice about themselves in the end. And the film’s grand lesson is one of believing in yourself. It’s part condemnation of media-imposed beauty standards, part empowerment and self-confidence guide. In Renee’s head, she’s beautiful – even if externally she’s average looking – but when she starts viewing herself as beautiful, things in her life all begin to come together. Cue the hot, rich guy noticing her because of her inner beauty and cue the scene where Schumer gives a rousing speech about self-confidence which moves a stoic crowd into rapturous applause.

Undeniably, slightly schlocky and saccharine can work in some cases, but I Feel Pretty is pretty unremarkable and commits itself to being distinctly average. For all its messages of empowerment and body positivity, Kohn and Silverstein’s film mires itself in being blandly cheesy and shallow. Each conflict, resolution or moment of revelation is a reinvention of other light-hearted comedies. As such, the movie is very predictable and by playing it safe, it doesn’t offer anything exceptional.

Admittedly, the feature is still watchable, and Schumer’s self-deprecating humour and enthusiasm in her role is a saving grace. The comic is engaging to follow as she bumbles her way through a series of faux-pas caused by her newfangled confidence. Most of the jokes are fairly predictable, but there are a few genuinely funny moments.

Ultimately, I Feel Pretty settles on being an at times enjoyable – but mostly passable – flick. If you’re really committed to watching something slightly cheesy concerning inner beauty, then bingeing some old Ugly Betty episodes might be a better option.

Mark Mukasa

I Feel Pretty is released nationwide on 4^th May 2018.

Watch the trailer for I Feel Pretty here: