I Feel Pretty

This review may contain spoilers!

A pretty nice twist on the romantic-comedy genre but it's too focused on poking fun at itself as opposed to delivering its message. I would give I Feel Pretty a 4.5/10.

The strength of this film is the manner in which it plays off famous fantasy rom-coms such as Big or 13 Going On 30 and parodies them. The premise of this film is that the main role thinks she's gone through the miraculous change we see in films such as these and become 'beautiful' when in fact nothing has actually changed. It's fun watching all the nods to how fantasy rom-coms are styled and the hilarious ways in which this film pokes fun at these qualities. The message of self-love is a nice one to see, it's not the films strongest point but it is nicely presented. The cinematography is a dazzling selection of brightly lit shots, often very reminiscent of the classic romantic-comedy style. The soundtrack throughout the film often links well to the message of self-empowerment; however, it is the score that really delivers quite strongly on those magical moments where Renee either feels a change or encounters a point of success.

Amy Schumer, who played Renee Bennett, really has the quirky, yet awkward persona needed for the main protagonist of this film; Schumer's transition to quite a bold, self-assured persona seems effortless and makes this one of her better performances to date. Michelle Williams, who played Avery LeClaire, does some hilarious voice work to make her role seem quite vain or posh; Williams really delivers when creating a role that seems distant and out of touch from other people due to her social status. Tom Hopper, who played Grant LeClaire, is a very suave and easily charismatic role; Hopper really puts forth this dreamy role and sells himself as the heartthrob of the film. Rory Scovel, who played Ethan, does a fantastic job at crafting a love interest who is very grounded; Scovel isn't your typical male love interest for these sorts of films and he shows a guy who is quite empathetic and caring. Aidy Bryant and Busy Philipps, who played Vivian and Jane respectively, were incredibly fun yet grounded best friend roles; their 'straight up' delivery and honest approach to conflict made them some of the most realistic performances in the film. Lauren Hutton, who played Lily LeClaire, was a frank role who really set a nice power balance between herself and Williams; Hutton's very grounded persona amongst a wealthy corporate setting worked extremely well. Sasheer Zamata, who played Tasha, did a great job as the awkward yet blunt cashier dealing with an unusual situation; Zamata's reaction to Schumer's initial 'change' was hilarious and worked to great effect.

However, the best performance came from Adrian Martinez, who played Mason. I liked that this role was soft-spoken and reluctant to move beyond his sphere of comfort, he was a great entry point of comedy for this film. Martinez showed a range of comedic ability, from a very quiet yet abrupt delivery to a wild and outspoken form of delivery. This was a gruff role who seemed a little distant at first but it was clear that he valued Schumer and the pair had a nice, quiet chemistry that worked well in several scenes.

This film doesn't ever really strive to be more than a parody of the usual fantasy rom-com format and as a result, it doesn't feel very unique; even moments where it subverts expectations come across as a punchline rather than an effective moment. This film loses itself about halfway through and you find it harder and harder to buy into the premise as the main protagonist becomes conceited and harder to empathise with. Ultimately what really doesn't work is the fact that the film tries to finish by teaching the audience a moral message, yet for most of the narrative, there's been nothing but a punchline at the main protagonist's expense. If the film hadn't been so focused on making fun of itself the moral message might have been received clearly. I also found the editing to set a slow pace and this made the film feel like it was dragging on far longer than it needed to.

Emily Ratajkowski, who played Mallory, feels like she's only been included in this film for her looks; because her role has only really been included for superficial reasons Ratajkowski never really succeeds in making her role feel like anything other than a stereotypical attractive person.