As comedies go, I Feel Pretty is the blandest of vanilla ice creams. A painfully generic story is hampered by a scrambled message which never quite landed for me. The film bombards you with a multitude of cliches that you’d expect from a “body swap/you’re now magically special” type story.
Amy Schumer plays Renee Bennett, a woman who’s struggling with insecurity in relation to her body and place in life. In an act of desperation she wishes she was truly beautiful and courtesy of a bump on the head at her gym, her wish is granted. Renee wakes and only sees a truly beautiful person in the mirror, but here’s the catch, nothing has actually changed. Genius! Renee’s life is magically turned around because she acts like she’s hot, even though to everyone else she’s just plain old Renee.
Now my biggest issue with this film is that it’s set in and around the world of fashion and cosmetics. Renee works for Avery LeClaire, a high end makeup company attempting to launch an affordable range of products. With a large portion of the film set in their head office, which is populated by all the statuesque model types you’d expect. But for a film all about accepting who you and suggesting everyone is beautiful, the film features an parade of half dressed women. Now they may be poking fun at these industries, but it shows that the Hollywood is still interested in populating its product with the stereotypically good looking folk. It all just struck me as at odds with the messaging of the film
I Feel Pretty is a forgettable experience which I can’t say is worth getting out to see. Maybe best to wait till you stumble across it on Netflix one night after you’ve had a few wines, maybe then the jokes will actually be funny.
If you see the film and agree or disagree with my thoughts feel free to drop a line below.
I Feel Pretty is cinemas from today
5/10
- Stu
