“I’ve always wondered what it feels like to be just undeniably pretty.” Renee Barrett
Amy Schumer is defining the idea of what pretty is in her latest comedy about a woman who just wants to be looked at for who she is and is doing an exceptional job at it. Starring as Renee, a woman who works as an off strip online advertising coördinator in the shadows of a high-class fashion empire, she dreams of being in the forefront of the fashion world rather than hidden in a building in Chinatown, but her self-esteem keeps her from reaching for it. Meanwhile her friends, love her for who she is, though Renee is blinded by the one thing that all women struggle with, body image issues. While in a spin class, she hysterically falls off the bike and bumps her head, causing her to think that she suddenly changed on the outside.
With a new persona, Renee now has a new confidence which helps her land her dream job as receptionist for LeClaire, though it is her attitude that Avery LeClaire (Michelle Williams) falls in love with and gives her the job, not her appearance like she thinks.
Overall, the movie does an exceptional job, hilarious as Schumer drops one joke after the other as she awkwardly navigates through the world of fashion unaware that people are looking at her not for her looks but for her talents. It also portrays Schumer as confident enough in her own body to do anything, which is definitely something that today’s women and girls need in the face of society.
Set in the Chinatown section of NYC, those who know the city will feel comforted in seeing it accurately portrayed, though the story itself could have taken place in any part of the United States, even California, as when I watched it, I kept wondering if it was LA or New York. Even that thought doesn’t take away from the movie.
The directors, Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein as well did an exceptional job in helming this film. Similar to Never Been Kissed where Josie struggles with the same body image issues as to goes undercover for her job in order to accurately portray teenagers in high school. The duo has a knack for bringing a piece of work that touches the audience and makes them think about what we are doing to kids that gives them these perceptions.
Despite the looming title, which I feel does not do ample justice, I Feel Pretty is a film that is meant to give new meaning to the word pretty. It allows women to be comfortable in their own body and has a sense of innocence similar to what one feels as a child, before the body image takes over. Rated PG 13, I Feel Pretty is moderately safe for perhaps mid teenage girls to see with parent supervision. There is a brief nudity scene but nothing terribly revealing. What the film does do is give girls the confident to be who they want to be regardless of what they look like. It shows the message that “I am beautiful”.
I Feel Pretty came out in theaters April 20, 2018 and is currently playing in a theater near you.