You Hurt My Feelings: Film Review
Have you ever had a loved one pretend to like your work? If so, you’ll know precisely how Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ character feels in You Hurt My Feelings.
The comedy-drama, written and directed by Nicole Holofcener, stars Louis-Dreyfus as Beth, who has been working on her second book and first work of fiction for two years. Beth, who also teaches writing, has been in a long-term marriage with unsuccessful therapist Don (Tobias Menzies) and they share a 23-year-old son named Eliot (Owen Teague), who works at a marijuana store and is writing a screenplay. One day, Beth overhears Don slating her manuscript and she feels betrayed, knowing that he has been lying to her face for two years.
Holofcener does a fantastic job exploring the central issue – is it OK to lie to a loved one to protect their feelings, to support and encourage them to keep going with their creative work? Or should you be brutally honest and say you don’t like it? The thought-provoking argument is debated from all sides. Naturally, Beth is hurt, upset and angry; she feels like she can’t trust Don anymore and starts to act coldly towards him, building resentment. Don doesn’t think what he’s done is that bad; in his words: “I wasn’t lying, I was encouraging.”
While I liked the central premise and watching these career-driven people trying to find meaning or purpose in their lives, I wish the writing had been a touch funnier. This comedy-drama is very light on the comedy and I think I laughed a couple of times. I also found Beth and Don to be incredibly annoying and I’m not 100% sure why. Louis-Dreyfus is wonderful in the role (Menzies is OK in his) but Beth really makes a mountain out of a molehill.
I’m really glad there were other characters in the mix, namely Michaela Watkins as Beth’s interior designer sister Sarah, who I instantly took a liking to. Arian Moayed plays her husband, an actor called Mark, who is suffering from major self-esteem issues. But the highlight of the film was actually Amber Tamblyn and David Cross playing an insufferable couple that Don sees. The gag only works if you know they’re married in real life though.
You Hurt My Feelings is a sharp and well-observed comedy-drama but I just wish I cared about the characters.
On Prime Video from Tuesday 8th August