Review: I Feel Pretty with Amy Schumer 3 out of 4 Stars

I Feel Pretty         3 out of 4 stars        Rated PG-13

By Kyle Osborne

Amy Schumer’s new comedy, “I Feel Pretty,” brings back the charming, relatable everywoman who mass audiences embraced so warmly in 2015’s similar (sort of) rom-com “Trainwreck.” This is good news.

Schumer’s early years were niche-successful, but her potty mouthed, hyper-sexualized persona never quite rang true. It seemed like a kind of cover for a Long Island girl who was probably as sensitive and wounded as all the rest of us, only tried to mask those traits with vulgar bravado (Full disclosure: profanity may be part of my own everyday language, that’s not my point).

If “Trainwreck” proved that she has a heart (yes, I realize that I’m equating the actress with the role, but it turns out the movie was quite autobiographical) then “I Feel Pretty” proves that she knows what it’s like to go against the grain of what society considers “beautiful.” In fact, her funniest stand-up bit, which had Ellen doubled over in stitches, seems to be a self-deprecating take down of a chubby girl in Hollywood, but is really just as much a commentary on Hollywood’s messed up standards. So, the real butt of the joke is superficiality. Perfect. And funny.

Which is where “I Feel Pretty” comes in. Schumer plays a single lady with single friends who have waded into the shark tank known as online dating, and nobody is having much fun. Schumer is literally hidden away, working offsite in a thankless job for a cosmetic company. She aspires to be the receptionist there—the actual first face that visitors would see upon entering the fancy-schmancy New York headquarters. This seems like an impossible goal for someone who doesn’t look like a wafer-thin runway model, not to mention someone with low self-esteem.

But when Schumer’s character (Renee) bumps her head and comes to, she is utterly convinced that she is the most fly girl in the Big Apple. The joke or plot or device—whatever you want to call it, is that her appearance, hasn’t changed at all, only her self-confidence has changed. And even though the set-up has taken us too long to get here, especially if you’ve seen the trailer, or Big or Freaky Friday—the payoff is funny and, at times, surprisingly touching. Also, and I don’t know why we are always surprised when a comedian turns out to be a good actor, Schumer is a good actor.

A good self-image, a boosted sense of confidence, opens door after door for Renee: she gets the job, she gets a sweet boyfriend (comedian Rory Scovel does a low-key great job) and she has turned her life around.

If anyone complains that the movie is making fun of women who might be considered 5’s instead of 10’s, they’re not paying attention. The whole point is that Renee accomplishes things based on what’s on the inside. Also, Amy Schumer looks like Amy Schumer and, guess what? She’s a Mooovie Star, so shut up!

And most guys I know would much rather spend an evening with Renee and her gal pals, played Busy Philipps and SNL’s Aidy Bryant, than with those expressionless “perfect” women (although, we learn, they have man problems, too).

It’s sort of a one joke movie, but it’s a good joke, and it’s realized in enough different scenarios, that you won’t get bored. I liked this movie.

Kyle Osborne