'I Feel Pretty' A Review

I Feel Pretty is a comedy about Renee(Amy Schumer) who struggles with confidence and self image. She manages the website for cosmetics company Lily LeClaire but aspires to work at their 5th Avenue headquarters. When she hits her head because of a SoulCycle accident she magically gets the confidence she always craved, sees herself as the beautiful person she's always wanted to be.

Schumer gives a good turn using her natural charisma and excellent physicality to great effect. Aidy Bryant and Busy Philips, as Renee's best friends, are great and serve to ground the film in a necessary way but aren't utilized to their full potential. Michelle Williams as Avery the Lily LeClaire boss puts in a scene-stealing performance, extremely odd and meticulous and fully fleshed out. Rory Scovel as Ethan, Renee's love interest, is low key and compelling and balances out Schumer well. The support cast are all well cast and put in good performances however it is Schumer's film and she, justly, dominates with her infectious energy.

The beats of the film are well worn rom-com territory but having a female lead and addressing insecurity and beauty along with that make it fresh. It's lighthearted without feeling trite, the humor never stops, and it has a message. There is nothing terribly innovative about it's story or humor but its solidly entertaining and delivers laughs. In a world where Adam Sandler seems to have multi-picture multi-million dollar movie deals in perpetuity the amount of criticism leveled at this film seems at best odd and at worst unjust, a double standard.

Rent It.