Amy Schumer’s ‘I Feel Pretty’ fails to impress

Amy Schumer’s latest movie “I Feel Pretty” attempts to tell a story about self-acceptance and personal confidence. Schumer plays Renee Bennett, a cosmetics company employee who works out of a basement in Chinatown. Bennett dreams of working at the Fifth Avenue branch but has never had the courage to apply. Disappointed by her life of going out to bars with her friends and coming home alone, Bennett stands in front of the mirror in her apartment and cries in her spanks, which also happens to be the most honest part of this film.

The storyline is tricky at first as the main characters newfound confidence comes from a head injury she sustained during a soul cycle class. However, to the audience Bennett looks exactly the same. This “magic” is just in her head. As the movie progresses she gains the confidence to go after her dream job and even meets a handsome guy.

The pacing is strange in the film. The audience is first amused by Bennett but quickly sees how her behavior negatively impacts the ones around her. She begins to only value those for their looks because she thinks she has the upper hand. Until one day she hits her head, again, and all the “magic” goes away. Nearing the end of the film, the main character is in the same place she was in when the film began. In the last 10 minutes the whole plot is resolved with obvious conclusions of Bennett finding her own confidence, getting her friends and her love interest back. 

The cast features some of Schumer’s closest comedy friends such as Aidy Bryant from “Saturday Night Live” and Rory Scovel, a regular on her sketch comedy show on Comedy Central. While their acting abilities may be good, the actors do not have the room to really perform because they are only seen with her in bars. Scovel who plays Bennett’s romantic interest, Ethan, gave the best performance. He seemed to be the only character grounded in a mature reality.

Seeing Schumer play the “ugly” girl is neither fresh nor unexpected and this shows in her performance. Her lines are a mix of her stand-up routine and a romantic script. The film itself, however, is well shot in the romantic comedy way audiences know and love. The dramatic intro of a New York skyscraper and a slow-motion walk through the lobby of a dream job are both in the film.

While there is a good lesson to be learned about self-esteem and self-image, this movie has a clumsy way of delivering it. It’s a clear attempt at empowerment of young women but instead it comes off as problematic and outdated.