There's a beautiful sentiment at the heart of I Feel Pretty. From the writers of How to Be Single (directorial double team Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein), this offers a similarly positive message about the importance of self-love and body-positivity in a world where ideal standards of beauty seem nigh on unreachable. It's this sense of warmth and well-meaning that just about carries the film through it's shaky, hard-to-believe premise, which doesn't lead to as many laughs as it should.
We follow Renee (Amy Schumer), a website technician who lacks confidence in her image, and aspires to be truly 'beautiful'. Working for prestigious cosmetics company LeClaire as a web technician (her office is located in a depressing-looking basement), Renee dreams of one day working at the company's glamorous headquarters, but doesn't feel like her image suits that of the company. However, after a bad accident involving an exercise-bike, Renee wakes up seeing herself as the beautiful woman she's always wanted to be.
Herein lies the biggest problem of the film. The central conceit, which has Schumer suddenly marvelling at her appearance even though she looks exactly the same, requires a huge suspension of belief that somewhat takes you out of the film. Unlike Shallow Hal, which also saw a central character's standard of beauty suddenly change, we are given no visual representation to help us understand Schumer's sudden self-belief, which is here presented as part of the character's delusions (for example, she assumes that almost every male character is hitting on her).
If you can get past this considerable hurdle, the film undoubtedly has its charms. Although at times ridiculously obnoxious and oblivious, Schumer throws herself into the role with predictable bravery and also shows a great deal of vulnerability as a woman who initially doubts herself at every opportunity. Rory Scovel's love interest is also a refreshingly unconventional leading man, whose amazement at Renee's self-confidence reveals insecurities of his own. And, as Renee's new-found self-confidence gets her a dream job as the LeClaire receptionist (owing to the Company's inclusive new outlook rather than, as she assumes, her changed appearance), it's also fun to watch as she challenges the company's values (think Vogue but more snooty) with ideas representing women of all shapes and sizes.
However, while it does feature a funny performance from Michelle Williams as the mousy-voiced face of LeClaire, this never comes close to matching the wit or insight of Devil Wears Prada. Littered with obvious pratfalls and weakly written supporting characters, it's a fluffy and predictable film that will amuse momentarily, but won't linger long in the memory. And while the idea at its heart is certainly beautiful (how you see yourself is more important than how others see you), the execution is less-than-pretty.
Your enjoyment of I Feel Pretty will likely depend on your ability to believe in its fragile premise. Even if you can, this light and amiable film could use more creativity and laughs to go with its important message.
