Review: You Hurt My Feelings

Image courtesy of A2.

Nicole Holofcener's "You Hurt My Feelings" is a low key but often subtly funny dramedy about how the white lies we tell to others to soften blows can occasionally have negative consequences. It also explores the dangers to the ego of exposing oneself to the world - especially through artistic means - and inviting criticism.

Much like the director's previous work - which includes "Enough Said" and "Lovely and Amazing" - Holofcener has a strong sense of how people's minds work and a great ear for dialogue. For a comedy starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus, the film has a surprisingly understated vibe and the laughs build off the behaviors of the various characters who are feeling angst for various reasons throughout the course of the picture.

At its center is Beth (Louis-Dreyfus), a creative writing teacher whose memoir sold fairly well - but not as well as it could have, her mother reminds her - and who is struggling to put the finishing touches on a novel. Her agent doesn't seem too excited about the novel and, during the film's central moment, Beth overhears her seemingly supportive husband, a psychiatrist named Don (Tobias Menzies), tell an actor friend (Arian Moayed) that he too isn't too enthused either about his wife's latest work. This sets the film off on the course of its various characters having trust issues with each other - or even trusting their own abilities.

While Beth frets about her novel, Don wonders if he is doing a poor job at his own work. He occasionally mixes up patients' histories, one bickering couple demands that he refund them $33,000 for years of therapy they believe have been fruitless, and another patient mumbles insults just within earshot at the end of each session.

Meanwhile, Beth and Don's son, Eliot (Owen Teague), is struggling to write his first play while working at a so-called "pot" shop. Beth's worries about his handling drugs result in one of the film's best gags late in the picture. At the same time, Eliot's girlfriend has dumped him and he wonders if he was at fault. All the while, Beth's sister (Mikaela Watkins) is unhappy in her line of work - picking out decor for new homeowners who are seemingly never satisfied, while her husband (the actor) struggles in his career and gets a complex after being fired from a play.

During the course of the film, the characters learn that honesty may be the best - if not the easiest - policy, even if it's difficult to see in the short term. The strife between Beth and Don after she feels betrayed when overhearing his pan of her novel results in a great scene during which the two characters air out all their grievances, which ultimately end up being holiday gifts that they later laugh about when realizing their problems are so trivial.

At just 93 minutes, "You Hurt My Feelings" breezes by and it might feel slight in comparison to some of Holofcener's other films ("Enough Said" is probably my favorite), but there are some universal truths that are often humorously and occasionally awkwardly -  I don't mean that as a slight - drawn out by the characters in this film that will likely ring true for many. It may not be the director's best film, but it's a funny and enjoyable showcase for its talented cast.