I FEEL PRETTY  3.0***

   In the reviews for this movie some people were offended by the way Schumer’s character, Renee, is supposed to be perceived. That is as an insecure young woman because she isn’t skinny enough, pretty enough, etc. But the movie tells a different story. Yes, in the beginning, Renee is very insecure about her appearance. Her eyes well up with tears when she removes her cute outfit and reveals the uncomfortable pair of Spanx hidden underneath or when she run errands in a sweatshirt and yoga pants  and is mistaken by a customer as a store employee.  She makes a Big-style in a thunderstorm wish and hopes to magically transform herself into someone with supermodel looks.  

Renee is a regular New Yorker with a dull desk job doing online work for Lily LeClaire, a high-fashion cosmetic firm run by  the gorgeous Avery LeClaire ( played marvelously by Michelle Williams as an entitled but smart woman with a high squeaky voice). Renee joins a fitness club where she’s fat-shamed by an employee and tries to sweat her way to the smile and shape of her dreams. But in the process, she falls off the bike and takes a hard knock to the head and when she comes to, the face and figure she sees in the mirror are the ones she’s been dreaming of, although only she can actually see herself that way.. Everybody else just sees Renee as she’s always been.

Convinced that she’s now a goddess, Renee proceeds to dazzle people — although they’re  impressed by her amazing self-confidence, not her looks. Over time Renee starts to have it all. She gets the dream job working at  the LeClaire Headquarters, winds up with a boyfriend who adores her and even wins the respect of her sleek and stylish co-workers. Renee’s positive self-image is infectious and draws others into her orbit. They are dazzled by her sincerity and conviction. Unfortunately, her success goes to her head and jeopardizes her friendship with her two girl friends who have always loved her just the way she is.  

When she hits her head again, the effects of the first injury are reversed. Once again, she is plagued by self-doubt. But the feelings of everyone who has come to love and respect both versions of Renee have not changed. To the outside world, she’s still amazing. Sadly, she is once again crippled by her insecurity and she is the only one who can change that. This notion of self-acceptance is the hard lesson that Schumer’s character, Renee, must learn . How it ends, you have to see for yourself,

This film shows how most  women feel insecure about their looks to some extent, even the gorgeous ones who are perceived to be perfect. At the end of the day, what truly matters is how you feel about yourself. Nobody can make you really, deeply, honestly feel pretty except for you.

Schumer shines in I Feel Pretty by completely and fearlessly buying into the premise, and delivering  funny lines that slice into the shallowness of valuing beauty over brains and celebrities over common folk.

 I Feel Pretty finds a whimsical, funny, relatable, and entertaining way to convey that message. It isn’t easy, but it  feels a whole lot better to embrace your imperfections and love your unique self.

Rated PG-13 for sexual content, some partial nudity, and language |