Amy Schumer’s first big starring vehicle, Trainwreck, was flawed but promising – a frequently funny and reasonably thoughtful effort at fusing her party-girl stand-up and socially aware sketch-show personas, and translating them to a big-screen setting. Her next film, Snatched, was something of a misstep, ingeniously pairing her with Goldie Hawn but saddling them in a formulaic action/comedy story, complete with ‘80s-style drug dealer subplot. And now we have her third starring film, I Feel Pretty, and… yeah, these seem to be moving in the wrong direction, quality-wise.
Schumer stars as an “ordinary” woman who struggles with self-esteem, until she hits her head in a spin class and suddenly thinks she’s a knockout, which in turn makes her far more confident and successful. So we’re talking about a comedy that’s dipping into the tricky waters of media representation, female image, lookism, and the like, which is tricky business; you can all but see the takes coming over the horizon. But we probably have nothing to worry about when these topics are in the firm hands of the makers of (squints at IMDb) He’s Just Not That Into You, Valentine’s Day, The Vow, and How to Be Single. Oy.
Here’s the trailer:
I Feel Pretty hits theaters on June 29.