I FEEL PRETTY (2018)

Genre: Comedy
Director: Abby Kohn, Marc Silverstein
Cast: Amy Schumer, Michelle Williams, Emily Ratajkowski, Busy Philipps, Tom Hopper, Lauren Hutton, Aidy Bryant, Naomi Campbell
Runtime: 1 hr 50 mins
Rating: NC-16 (Sexual Scene)
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 19 April 2018

Synopsis: In I FEEL PRETTY, an ordinary woman who struggles with feelings of insecurity and inadequacy on a daily basis wakes from a fall believing she is suddenly the most beautiful and capable woman on the planet. With this newfound confidence she is empowered to live her life fearlessly and flawlessly, but what will happen when she realizes her appearance never changed?

Movie Review:

With the world becoming smaller with social media and people getting more and more critical, will we ever be able to find happiness with ourselves and live our lives authentically?

I Feel Pretty takes you on a journey with Renee Bennett (Amy Schumer) and the interesting twist in her life when she falls and suddenly wakes up becoming overly confident and strong, unlike her former repressive and insecure self, with the exception of her appearance still being the same.

The film is extremely relatable and relevant to today’s society, where the dire need for self-acceptance, the heavy criticisms from ‘neitzens’ and the increase in cyberbullying is more prominent than ever. And it does strike a chord to many whom would most probably feel the pain and pressure.

The slight twist in the plot makes the film interesting and unique, moving away from the cookie-cutter sure-win magical formulas of changing oneself entirely and instead choosing to inspire people with the ability to be positive and to accept oneself through obtaining a sense of extreme (and slightly delusional) confidence.

Amy Schumer and Michelle Williams did amazing with their respective roles as Renee Bennett and Avery LeClaire, igniting a strange yet pleasant chemistry through possible pushing of limits, together with a brilliant and natural set of supporting cast, adding life and colour to the film.

Although the film is based mainly in New York and does not boast many opportunities for wide-scale, mind-blowing sceneries, random New York skyline panoramic views made the film’s cinematography less mundane.

However, unlike many American-based comedies, I Feel Pretty is not entirely slapstick and viewers expecting to laugh their hearts out silly ala most Adam Sandler’s offerings would be disappointed. In fact, at times it does feel slightly as flat as ‘flat world’ believers.

The film’s biggest flaw would be the flow, as certain parts of the film seem to not connect too well, making the viewers hanging on and scratching their heads over a few parts. The extremely rushed ending destroys the structure and the flow, making the drastic change in Renee’s character upon returning back to her old self and suddenly moving back to being extremely confident very questionable. It generally makes one think that the film strangely had a time duration limit to keep to.

The fact that the film is trying too hard to please the general public makes the film a little too cautious and powerless against making outstanding films on topics that are similar, losing substantial credibility and, thus, leads to disappointment.

I Feel Pretty is essentially fun and lovable with good intentions but falls into the trap of wanting quick commercial success and acceptance from the general public, so much so that it loses its unique appeal and the possibility of it being an amazing film that speaks volume, thus falling slightly into a comedic genre that it does not entirely fit into.

Movie Rating:

(Do watch it without too much expectations and go with the flow)

Review by Ron Tan