According to the novelist Be (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), the adjective “lovable” should not be used to describe the elderly, as it is more appropriate for infants and, therefore, childish and condescending in other contexts. She’ll be sorry to hear that, later, You hurt my feelingsThe story of the pivotal speed bump in her marriage to Don (Tobias Menzies), deserves that title.
debut at Sundance Film Festivalsecond collaboration between Louis-Dreyfus and writer/director Nicole Holofcener (after 2013 enough to say) is a tale of honesty, deception, and communication breakdown that proves to be an ideal performance for its protagonist—even if its light comedy is a bit too light.
Out to dinner for their anniversary, Beth and Don exchange gifts they tell each other they love. However, their enthusiasm is not entirely genuine. Those blatant lies are of the trivial sort, and it’s no different than many other times a day when they don’t say exactly what they think.
For Don, a therapist, that means keeping quiet and letting his patients—including a fighting couple played by the real-life couple. David Cross and Tamblyn amber— talk about their various problems. In Beth’s case, she finds it hard not to be extremely excited about the unfinished play written by her son Elliot (Owen Teague), who is enraged at his mother’s generosity and doesn’t understand. why doesn’t she buy grass from him. at the pot shop where he works.
Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images
As a sequel to her father’s memoir about “verbal abuse”—well done, though not as good as her mother (Jeannie Berlin) thought it might be—Beth wrote a novel fiction, and her belief in the work was perplexed when her agent didn’t give her the positive feedback she wanted. Don remains supportive, even as he deals with his own crisis of confidence caused by a whole new patient (quit‘s Zach Cherry), who mumbled “Oh my god, he’s an idiot” as he wrapped up their Zoom meeting, as well as another session where he mistakenly attributed the issues to the father of a disease multiply for another person.
The truth hurts, and it’s also proven by the plight of Sara, Beth’s sister (Michaela Watkins), a home decorator working with a client who frequently turns down the sconce she has chosen, and Sara’s husband Mark (heir‘s Arian Moayed), an actor not well equipped to handle rejection.
You hurt my feelings leisurely establishes its characters and the little corner of New York City they live in, with Beth and Sara volunteering at the local church’s clothing stores and visiting their mother (and her grandmother). to the doctor), and Don and Mark regularly walk through Central Park. Holofcener has an instinctive feeling for this environment and these types of people, and she makes humor out of small details and incidents, such as Beth’s mother telling her daughter to bring home some The potato salad was left in the tin foil because she didn’t want Beth to leave with one of her many plastic containers.
From Elliot’s dislike of Beth and Don’s habit of sharing food (including an ice cream cone), to Berlin’s matriarch confusing TMZ and TCM (which she thinks stands for The Channel Movie). ), to Beth’s demonstration of how her eyebrows are still moving after Botox injections, the film engages its main players with its crisp, recognizable, and amusing dialogue.
After a series of minor conflicts, You hurt my feelings introduces a more serious story where Beth and Sara playfully try to sneak behind Don and Mark at a sporting goods store and overhear Don confess that he doesn’t like Beth’s new book. .
This admission shook Beth, who was then barely able to look at her partner, much less his anxious questions about what was bothering her and his She further encouraged contacting a new agent about publishing the novel. Desperate for Don’s approval (since she takes his opinion very seriously), Beth sees this statement as a humiliating blow; His lies resonated as a betrayal of trust. It was clear that an explosive confrontation was inevitable.
That row eventually happens, but You hurt my feelings too gentle and kind to exploit it majeure-class laugh bitterly. Although Beth’s hurt and shame is understandable, Don is clearly a good guy and a devoted mate, and he lied to please his wife and put her success first. on his amateur comments. So it’s hard to feel like Beth has suffered a fatal wound.
The relatively marginal nature of this love affair is echoed by other themes of the film that involve falsehood for the greater good, be it Sara consoling Mark about career failure or Beth consoling Elliot. about a breakup with a girlfriend who thinks his job suggests less than a promising future.
You hurt my feelings It would be funnier if it had more engaging content, and it’s no surprise that most of its plots are settled through sincere conversations about when to say how and when. Who should lie to the truth to avoid other people’s feelings and avoid unnecessary (and unimportant) things. ) conflict. When it stands, it’s like a more pleasant version of a Curb your enthusiasm episode. However, if Holofcener keeps things in the first issue, she adds her material with a collection of witty quotes, and she intelligently steers clear of her performers, her direction. She is not fussy and her actions are easy.
Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images
Final, You hurt my feelings works so well because Louis-Dreyfus is as witty, charming, and likable as ever. Professionally acting with her first-rate co-stars, the unrivaled comedian transforms into Beth as an insecure woman struggling to navigate a modern landscape rife with demanding situations. honest to varying degrees and grapples with the fact that others might deceive her in the film. the same way she is to them, whether she is with relatives or students at The New School who are trying to write stories based on their own experiences.
Crazy lovable, shown through a late robbery that offers protection from her mother, Beth is a character that fits Louis-Dreyfus’ skills perfectly. She’s the undisputed main attraction in Holofcener’s film, otherwise the plot is nothing but—to borrow another word that clearly describes it—cute.
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