I Feel Pretty (2018)

Yikes.

I don’t typically like tame studio comedies, but I don’t usually hate them either. They have very little weight or originality, but because they lack both of those they also do not offend in the jokes or subject matter all that often, making them lackluster yet forgettably so.

I Feel Pretty, unfortunately, feels quite ugly: it manages to be both unfunny and cringeworthy in its handling of subject at the same time. I do not know what compelled the writers of this film to craft it in the way they did, but it does not work at all. One of the most puzzling things about the film is how it undermines the entire aim of the film. From the marketing I saw, I Feel Pretty was supposed to be an uplifting film for people who do not have the body type they might desire and therefore lacking self-esteem. Instead, almost all of the jokes made in the film are at the expense of Amy Schumer’s body type, as she thinks after hitting her head hard that she is “more attractive” than she actually is. It was sad to see her so ignorant as to what was actually happening around her – especially when she begins to turn the same criticism the film desires to squash at her unattractive friends, unable to spot the massive hypocrisy at play. Every joke after the main plot went into motion made me cringe because of how insensitive the characters were being towards each other; this kind of humor was so pervasive that I would have walked out if I did not feel obligated to give this film chance after chance after chance (not something I would recommend to you).

The best part of the film was the character of Avery LeClaire. Played by a camouflaged Michelle Williams – made unrecognizable by her mannerisms and vocal inflections – she looks like a typical comedy’s rich blonde buffoon, making mistake after mistake without realizing it. In I Feel Pretty, what could have been a forgettable character is shaped into a mildly compelling arc, showing that not everyone with Avery’s appearance is that dumb blonde chick or content with just being such a person; they might want to make a difference within their sphere of influence.

Besides these two things, I Feel Pretty is too unremarkable to speak at length about. It fails at its goal from the outset, undermining its principle point by poking fun at the very kind of attitude for which it seemingly advocates. Its only aspect that might possibly redeem it is the character of Avery and the performance behind her by Michelle Williams, but even that cannot make the ugly into something beautiful.

My recommendation: Skip it.

My grade: 29/100