I’m not sure if Americans have national treasures in quite the same sense Brits do (is there an equivalent to Dame Judi or Sir Trevor?) but if they did, surely Julia Louis-Dreyfus would be up there with Dolly Parton and (don’t argue) The Rock.
She was adorably smart, hapless and hilarious (the holy trinity of adorables) in Seinfeld, while Veep showcased her laser-guided knack for potty-mouthed comic chutzpah. And she nailed the awkward forty-something sex scenes with the late James Gandolfini in Nicole Holofcener’s wonderful post-divorce rom-com Enough Said.
Now she is reunited with Holofcener for You Hurt My Feelings, which does precisely what it says on the tin. Louis-Dreyfus plays Beth, a Manhattan novelist struggling to get her second book into print, but blissfully married to psychotherapist Don (the excellent Tobias Menzies, taking the adorable crown this time) – heck, after decades they still sweetly share plates of food. However, when Beth overhears Don telling her brother-in-law Mark (Stewy from Succession, yay!) that he doesn’t like her new novel, her fragile sense of validation comes crashing down like a wretched tower of remaindered books.
How could he, of all people, hurt her feelings? How can she possibly go on, knowing that the one she loves most doesn’t rate her talent? Beth’s devastation is nicely contrasted by Don’s docile, puppy-dog reaction to his clients when they bluntly tell him he’s the world’s worst therapist, while her ever-empathetic sister Sarah (Michaela Watkins, just as outstanding as Menzies) secretly thinks Mark’s acting career is pretty dreadful.
Holofcener portrays this admittedly slight, first-world dilemma between wanting to hear supportive “white lies” or the brutal truth with a deftly observant touch, while the comedy is so light it could get wafted away on a wisp of Upper West Side wind.
So, objectively speaking, everything is hunky dory: quality film-making, great performances, lovely incidental details, and plenty of people will thoroughly enjoy it. However, subjectively… I couldn’t help but think, while the world is going to hell in a boiling handcart, why I should give a flaming toss about a needy bunch of bourgeois cry-babies? Come on Beth, yes it’s wounding, but get over yourself!
Sorry if I hurt your feelings, but this movie isn’t quite for me.
