I Feel Pretty - Review - Mind on Movies

I Feel Pretty is in theaters on April 20th, 2018.

I Feel Pretty stars Amy Schumer as Renee Bennett who is a New Yorker struggling with self esteem. After an incident that leaves her with head trauma, Bennett finds the confidence to see herself as a beautiful woman. Can Schumer deliver the laughs and a positive message?

I did not go into this movie with high expectations because I do not find Amy Schumer funny minus a few jokes here and there. Add in a plot similar to Shallow Hal and I’m not looking forward to it.

After watching however I was surprised at how she actually put away her raunchy, over the top jokes and played a character that was actually relatable. Instead of relying on “going there” she took on more of a personal and down to earth role which worked out in the end.

The thing that messed up this movie is how the branding overtook the story. I dare you to count how many times you hear Target or bargain shopping in this movie. Like we get it, the product is going to be marketed to the everyday shopper but they did not have to hammer it down viewers throats.

Also the plot took on different routes but did not fully explore them. Avery LeClaire and her relationship with her brother - was it estranged? And what was up that scene between him and Renee? Renee’s sporadic but so personal it was borderline intimidating run-ins with her fellow bike class member and the grandmother being so cool while her granddaughter was uptight. So many subplots that felt abandoned and forgotten just so they could rush to the message.

The message was positive but also it felt like Bennett was spewing out words during her delivery speech. If you pull out bits and pieces from it that’s where the uplifting aspect came from.

I think this is one of Schumer’s better movies but it felt like something was missing in terms of the storyline. It was all over the place and felt like a ping pong game between funny and positive message because some of the criticisms to reach “funny” were harsh so the positive messages needed to be in there to balance it out.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Ashley (Senior Contributor) is an Orlando native who loves watching movies. Her favorite genres include comedies, thrillers and sci-fi.
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Amy Schumer plays Renee, a self conscious woman who has only ever wanted to be pretty. She hurts her head and when she wakes up, she sees herself as someone else, someone who she thinks is beautiful.

Renee starts living her life to the fullest, doing things she’s always dreamed about because she finally believes in herself. She put all her self worth in her looks, not realizing it’s her personality that makes her beautiful.

Michelle Williams delivers an excellent performance as Avery - Renee’s boss. I love her as a person and actress and really she can do no wrong.

I think the editing on this movie made it seem unfinished, I felt like I didn’t get to see what was intended from the directors point of view. One thing was happening and the next it’s something else. I was lost at times and I felt like the events and story itself was predictable.

If you’re going out with girlfriends go see this one, with all of its faults it’s still a decent movie.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Ashley K. (Contributor) is a frequent traveler currently living in San Diego. She's a super nerd who enjoys all kinds of movies and doesn't always think the book was better.
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Full disclaimer on this review – I do not understand the extreme hatred for Amy Schumer. I think she’s actually really funny, so she is one of the main reasons that I enjoyed I Feel Funny. I thought this was a fun, positive movie that had me walking out of the theater empowered!

Amy Schumer stars as Renee Bennett, an insecure and shy woman working in a hidden section of a huge beauty company. She shuffles through life with a lot of insecurities about her body and her job and genuinely just wishes she could be “beautiful”. After a hard hit on her head, she wakes up believing this came true – that she is suddenly the most beautiful woman in the world. With her newfound confidence, she begins living the life she dreamed. She has no fears applying to be the receptionist at her job, talking to men, even joining a bikini contest! Her newfound confidence causes her to be upfront and assertive at her new job, catching the eye of the CEO herself, Avery LeClair (Michelle Williams with a hilarious voice flaw).

As the plot goes on, you watch Renee grow and become a more confident and assertive person, but you also can see how quickly that can grow into becoming too much. She begins neglecting her regular friends, hilariously played by Aidy Bryant and Busy Philipps, and trying too hard to fit in with the “cool and pretty” crowd that she thinks she is suddenly a part of. The big question is, how long can this last?

I Feel Pretty definitely had its flaws. There was not a lot of character development – I genuinely do not understand why they bothered putting Emily Ratajkowski in the movie her character was that random. They also towed a very strange line between cute and chauvinistic with the CEO’s brother, Grant. He seems to hit on Renee and show interest, but then he is quietly extremely rude and insulting to his sister, Avery. That was never really focused upon. Aside from that, the movie really was funny and empowering, showing Renee and all women that we can do anything we put our minds to, and we can be the change we want to see! Take your best girlfriend, and go see I Feel Pretty ASAP!

Rating: 3 out of 5

Lauren (Contributor) is born and raised in South Jersey. When she isn’t yelling at Philly sports teams on the TV, she enjoys seeing the latest action films and true crime documentaries.
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