★★★★ Directed by Samuel Maoz Starring Lior Ashkenazi, Sarah Adler, Yonaton Shiray Film Review by George Wolf From its opening shot - a slow, dizzying swirl above a patterned kitchen floor - Foxtrot commits to a cornerstone of disorientation. Through both narrative and camerawork, writer/director Samuel Maoz keeps you off balance as he constructs a deep, moving dive into one family's struggle with loss and regret. Jonathan (Yonaton Shiray), a soldier in the Israeli Army, is going about his mundane duties in a remote outpost when a tragic twist of fate occurs. Jonathan's father Michael (Lior Ashkenazi delivering his usual excellence) and mother Daphna (Sarah Adler - also terrific) take the news of the accident, along with the news of a second, very unexpected development, very differently. Maoz's visuals, sometimes anachronistic, bold and darkly funny, are never less than fascinating. His writing is incisive and brilliantly layered, confidently moving toward a shattering finale without stopping to worry about whether you're connecting every loose end. Just when you may think you know where Maoz is going, you don't. But the rug isn't pulled by cheap gimmickry or emotional manipulation, but rather perfectly arranged pieces assembled by deeply affecting performances. Like its namesake, a dance that will always lead you to "end up in the same place," Foxtrot can be viewed from different angles with equal impact. You might see a sociopolitical statement on the filmmaker's home country, a universal parable on the costs of war, or a starkly intimate take on family bonds. Let it in, and this film will reveal layers of meaning and a lasting grip. Through Foxtrot, Maoz and his stellar performers are speaking with a stylish and bittersweet elegance. Listen. #SamuelMaoz #YonatonShiray #SarahAdler #LiorAshkenazi #GeorgeWolf #movies #film #entertainment #moviereviews #Israelifilms #independentfilms

★★ Directed by Rob Greenberg Starring Anna Faris, Eugenio Derbez, Eva Longoria Film Review by Hope Madden More than 30 years ago, Garry Marshall directed one of those Eighties films: good-heartedly hateful and contrived in that colorfully rom-com way, Overboard. It is the ridiculous story of comeuppance wherein a small-town carpenter (Kurt Russell), cheated out of payment by a scantily clad, uppity billionaire (Goldie Hawn), concocts a plan to get the money he is due when she washes ashore with amnesia. Flash forward several decades and director Rob Greenberg makes his feature debut after a lifetime of sitcoms, revisiting Leslie Dixon’s 1987 screenplay. His update sees Kate (Anna Faris) as a single mom just trying to pass that damn nursing exam so she can quit her two jobs (pizza delivery, carpet cleaner) and offer a better life for her three daughters. She’s sent to sop up the champagne spillage on a yacht, meets spoiled heir Leonardo (Eugenio Derbez), argues and ends up in far worse financial trouble than she’d been in a day before. Now she’ll never get that nurse’s license! When the billionaire washes up back in Elk Cove, Kate’s pizza place boss (Eva Longoria) figures the least he owes Kate is some some day labor (so she doesn’t have to replace that job he lost for her), and enough chores to give Kate the time to study. Only until the exam—then we’ll tell him. The premise is no fresher or more believable this time around, though they do update in a couple of interesting ways. Leonardo is a Mexican heir; the day laborers only speak Spanish and most of the pizza crew is bilingual Mexican American, so about fifty percent of the film is subtitled. This is an interesting choice, since the point of both versions of Overboard is to point out the hideous gap in work ethic and morality you can find between the rich and poor. Choosing not to “Roseanne” that image of the American working poor was a solid decision. Not that it can help this movie. This is simply not a premise that has the strength to stand the test of time. The original was a success on the charm and natural (and obviously abiding) charisma of its stars. Why was it successful? Goldie Hawn was a comic genius, Kurt Russell was gorgeous, and it was the Eighties. That is it. The remake has none of those things going for it. Greenberg, updating Dixon’s script with Bob Fisher (Wedding Crashers), can’t write his way out of the contrivance. Though Faris is certainly a talent, she lacks the charisma to carry a film. Perhaps most damaging is the utter absence of chemistry between the leads, making every inch toward romance feel unnatural and, honestly, almost creepy. #RobGreenberg #EugenioDerbez #EvaLongoria #AnnaFaris #HopeMadden #remakes #romanticcomedies #movies #film #entertainment #moviereviews #filmreviews

Directed by: Károly Eiles Written by: Károly Eiles Starring: Márton Fischer Short Film Review by: Kirsty Asher Empty City, a film by Hungarian filmmaker Károly Eiles aims to ask an ambitious cinematic question: what would your life be like if you were the only person left in a big city? It’s a concept which has previously been beautifully explored in post-apocalyptic cinema, but the vibe of this short film is decidedly more upbeat. The rich colour grading brings out summery yellows and blues, which coupled with the soundtrack gives it the feel of a Tropical House music video. It’s an interesting set-up, as it highlights the bustle of people in sped-up shots of Budapest, and it gives the film the glowing air of a fanciful daydream. The sole actor Márton Fischer is present and efficient in his physical performance, although he has no spoken dialogue and is heard only in voice-over. The script is interesting and well-written; I particularly liked how one of his first ideas of living in an empty city would be to take a pastry from a cafe but still feel the need to leave some money. The main issue with a big idea such as this in indie cinema is the restriction of budget and resources, so the chance to gain shots of wide, empty urban vistas and capture a real sense of solitude is slightly lost here. Lacking the ability to cordon off areas or film in empty establishments means there are a couple of background shots of people in scenes where the city is meant to be deserted, and it slightly ruins the effect. There are some attempts to create a visually elaborate idea of the boy’s imaginary freewill with a CGI shot of him dive-bombing the city’s river from a bridge and his decision to play his video game on a huge screen in a plaza. While amusing, my particular issue with the ‘what-if’ scenes is that they aren’t particularly imaginative in their content – why, when this boy could do anything he wished in complete solitude, would he still spend his time on everyday habits like video games, or going to the gym? It comes across as restrictive and as a missed opportunity to create more beguiling shots. Larger locations might be hard to manage on a small budget, but there are ways of handling a big concept such as this through small-scale images that take a deeper look at isolation and solitude. The way the editing and cinematography seemed to change style very abruptly was slightly confusing. The opening scene of Empty City had wide-angle symmetry and longer shots, but was then replaced by fast zooms and punchy editing more reminiscent of a music video. Nevertheless, the visuals of Budapest were well selected and well shot. It’s clear that Eiles is a proficient editor, and it was a fairly good attempt at exploring an interesting story. #ShortFilmReviews #ShortFilms #KirstyAsher #KárolyEiles #MártonFischer #WorldCinema

★★ Directed by: Ieva Makselyte Starring: Faye Sewell, David Magowen, and Brian Carter Indie Film Review by: Owen Herman Parallel begins with the fateful meeting of Heather (Faye Sewell), and Neil (David Magowan) at a work party. The two instantly hit it off and begin a loving relationship. One day they stumble upon Machlis (Brian Carter) a medium who claims he can give them a glimpse of their parallel lives. Despite Neil’s protests Heather decides to see what Machlis can offer. The resulting experience shows Heather what she’s not ready to see and puts the couple at odds as they start to become increasingly paranoid. Parallel is built on Heather and Neil’s relationship, and it is with this relationship that the faults with the film start to appear. Not only is their relationship not particularly believable, but the characters themselves aren’t very likeable and therefore it is very difficult to engage with the couple. This results in a disconnect from the film when we should be really engaged and gripped by the unpredictable storyline. A lot of the performances are quite flat, which makes the character issues worse. Brian Carter, as the mysterious medium, manages to stand out, delivering a performance with enough depth so we’re never too sure what Machlis’ true intentions are or whether he really is who he says he is. The script is, in general, pretty good, but unfortunately there are a few weaker lines which are noticeable and sound very unnatural. A bit more polish and the writing would have been very strong. My biggest problem with Parallel was the use of music. The emotional cues are often far too on the nose, and the music seems to overpower some scenes and at times makes it hard to understand the dialogue. For a film about people pursuing excitement, it lacks any real thrill. The premise is interesting, and the story is unpredictable, but its twists never have the impact they should. Part of this is down to the unengaging characters, but the film also struggles to get over its slow pace, resulting it dragging at times. Overall, despite the promise of its premise, and a couple of good moments, Parallel ultimately ends up feeling unsatisfying. #IndieFilmReviews #IndieFilms #OwenHerman #IevaMakselyte #FayeSewell #DavidMagowen #BrianCarter

Film Festivals > Features Part of our love of indie films at UK Film Review, we like to showcase some of the best UK Film Festivals and promote their upcoming events. One of the ways we do this is to partner with the organisers and offer to promote their film festival to our audience of film lovers and filmmakers. This is great content for our readers anyway and we like to work with the industry to help them out. Often, we offer to promote their submissions page to our list of subscribed filmmakers via email and offer them discount coders for film festivals in the UK and sometimes internationally. Grimmfest Film Festival One recent case of this was for Grimmfest, which takes annually in Manchester. We are an official media sponsor for their UK Film Festival and we are going to be promoting the hell out of their awesome event! We have also brokered a deal with them to get 40% off the submission fee for any filmmaker who submits to their site and is a follower of UKFR. The code is UKFR2018 and is available as of the date of this post until the end of submissions - which is currently set for June 2018. You can also find details of this offer on our Film Festivals page. Are you an event organiser? If you are a film festival organiser and would like to work with us in promoting your event and offering exclusive discount codes for your UK film festival, please get in touch. There is a form at the bottom of the aforementioned page. When the film festivals are running, we also help to promote them by reviewing some of the movies which are playing, or running press releases about the event which talk about all the things available for film fans. We utilise our popular website, as well as our social media platforms to promote festivals and can offer different kinds of methods to spread the good word. If you have an idea you would like to run past us, perhaps you have a special anniversary for your festival coming up, let us know! #FilmFestivals #Grimmfest #Grimmfest2018 #SupportIndieFilm #UKFilm #UKFilmReview #UKFilmFestivals

★★★★★ Directed by: Taha Ismail Written by: Taha Ismail Starring: Taha Ismail Short Film Review by: Rachel Pullen I love a good triple threat in people they always make for the most fun and let me tell you Taha Ismail is the ultimate warrior of triple threats with his short film Desolation. Directing...boom, Written by ....boom and starring....yeah you guessed it, our main man Taha, and you would think with all that pressure and all that stress concentrated into one small feature, that he would slip up or lack skills in one of the chosen areas, well you would be wrong. Taha plays the role of a high school student who is suffering from depression, to be more specific depersonalisation, derealisation disorder, which is when you lack the ability to relate to other people and the strong sense of becoming detached from yourself and your surroundings, and from the start we see him in a constant state of isolation and despair as he struggles to come to terms with his ever growing suicidal feelings. Depression is one thing but derealisation and depersonalisation is a whole other minefield of pain, and the reality and sense of isolation that this illness causes, comes screaming though from the first moment we tune in. Our leading man is alone, always, even when he is with other people, he chooses to surround himself in the digital world, looking at the pain and suffering of others on the news in a desperate attempt to generate any sense of emotion within him. Desolation as a short film is bleak, literally, shot predominantly in the dark or using filters, Ismail uses this style to create a sense of claustrophobia as well as melancholy, and there is no sense of escape for our main man, constantly trapped within his own world of loneliness. The film is led by the monologue of the lead character, as he describes in depth his symptoms and anxiety, but Ismail chooses to never let the character speak, perhaps a reflection of the fact that he cannot express his feelings, and even if he did would anyone listen? Highly unlikely, let’s face facts, if he did someone would tell him to just ‘’cheer up’’. This is an important short film for anyone to see, especially those who may know someone who is suffering, or by someone who is suffering, documenting the many stages that depression takes, the symptoms and the effects that they have, and although some of it can be hard to watch in places it holds its relevance as this is the reality of the illness. A striking and well shot film, confidently acted with a heavy sense of reality, sucking us in to a world of despair and hopelessness, Desolation is not for the faint of heart or people who are easily triggered but its importance to educate people on the state of mental health and its place in society is undeniable. #ShortFilmReviews #ShortFilms #RachelPullen #Depression #TahaIsmail

★★★★ Directed by: Jason Reitman Starring: Charlize Theron, Mark Duplass, Ron Livingston, Mackenzie Davis Film Review: by George Wolf The character Tully doesn't show up 'til nearly 40 minutes in, but by then the film Tully has its anchor: a sensational Charlize Theron. The Oscar-winner excels as Marlo, an exhausted, frazzled mom in dire need of a break. Marlo and her inattentive husband Drew (Ron Livingston) already have a young daughter, a younger son with some behavior issues, and now (surprise!) a brand new baby girl. Lucky for Marlo, she's also got a rich brother (Mark Duplass) whose baby gift is a "night nanny" named Tully (Halt and Catch Fire's Mackenzie Davis - a keeper). Once Tully shows up, Marlo can get what every new parent craves...sleep. After two winners together in Juno and the criminally ignored Young Adult, writer Diablo Cody and director Jason Reitman make their third collaboration a wonderfully natural extension of the first two. Cody is a gifted writer, her dialogue often insightful without preaching and timely without pandering. Here she creates two characters whose unlikely friendship speaks to the changing roles women will play throughout their lives, and the heartache those changes can sometimes bring. That being said, it's hard to imagine the film working as well as it does without Theron. She makes Marlo's every emotion feel real, and the character absolutely human even when Cody's script takes some chances not all will appreciate. Reitman, back in form after the dreadful Men, Women & Children, also helps in that department, keeping the film grounded in a world many will recognize. This isn't the heartwarming comedy the TV ads want you to think it is, nor is it the casual dismissal of postpartum depression that others have charged. It is one woman's story, with moments of humor, absurdity and truth, a bit of cliche and even some fairy tale optimism. And with all of that, there's enough brash boundary pushing to make Tully feel like a film we haven't seen before, and one we're glad that's here. Watch the movie trailer for Tully below... #Tully #movies #film #enertainment #moviereviews #filmreviews #GeorgeWolf #CharlieTheron #MarkDuplass #RonLivingston #MackenzieDavis #JasonReitman #independentfilms #DiabloCody

★★★★ Directed by: Darren King Starring: Sammy Johnston, Darren King (Nathan), Dan Hugo, Chloe O’Dwyer, Jonathan Jules, Abbie Samuel Short Film Review by: Jack Bottomley Mental health, to this day, remains an uncomfortable topic for many. As the world moves on, it is baffling, upsetting and downright ridiculous that mental health – an issue that affects and kills so many people – is still stigmatised, downplayed and/or ignored by a lot of people. This being said, progress is undoubtedly being made as mental health issues are being raised on advertisements for big brands and a lot of figures are now openly discussing their own experiences in the hopes of helping other people. Mental health awareness is so important and for those of you whom have ever had battles of your own, you will know that the battle within is one of the hardest you can fight. So, it is rather special to see any film addressing this subject and Director/Writer/Editor/Producer/Co-Star Darren King’s film The Battle Within, boasts a strong message. Centred on Kate (Sammy Johnston), whose relationship recently broke down violently, and the lonely Nathan (King), The Battle Within shows how mental health affects people differently, as Kate feels increasingly overpowered by her feelings and certain that she will ever feel happy again, and Nathan seeks a way forward after a dark event in his past. From the start, this film is one that takes a largely visual approach to an emotional and distressing story of how the mind and the bleakest of feelings can make us feel so powerless. Director of Photography Dan Hugo’s (who also has a small part as Kate’s former boyfriend) images are put to great use by King, as this short relies on some excellent black and white or stripped of colour imagery to denote the greyness that is building within our leads – Kate especially. Jason Chatwin’s music also effectively expresses this point. Kate’s battle is powerful and King is not shy of showing the horror that comes with suffering from these dreadful feelings. Namely how it can leave you more susceptible to the vices of alcohol and the damaging act of self-harming. This screenplay guides you through the downward spiral that is depression and aesthetically captures the essence of what it is to feel deserted and confined by your emotions as you are well and truly at war with your self. In fact, many viewers out there, will have had even more extreme experiences than those presented here. It makes for hard viewing at points because you know that people live Kate’s story everyday and as this short reaches a point of utter desperation, it is hard to not start thinking about the many lives lost to the darkness. However, it is at this point that The Battle Within breaks its format and the script comes to surface, with a concluding scene between the two leads that is superbly human and really quite moving. So often this topic results in despair but this short chooses an uplifting peak to its narrative. A concluding song-backed closing montage further highlights the film’s ultimate message of how companionship, understanding and honesty can make all the difference and how an awful time passes, so never make an irreversibly bad decision based on the moment. The Battle Within gives a spotlight to people who feel more alone than ever and with a tremendous lead performance by Sammy Johnston as Kate and a brilliant turn by King, this is a fantastic little story about one of the hardest and most frightening experiences anybody can ever go through in life. Furthermore it is an encouraging film about never letting the darkness beat you. #ShortFilmReviews #ShortFilms #JackBottomley #DarrenKing #SammyJohnston #DanHugo #ChloeO39Dwyer #JonathanJules #AbbieSamuel

★★★★ Directed by: Gustavo Martin Starring: Fupa Short Film Review by: Chris Olson Short comedy documentary Fupa sees a young girl called Cody coming to terms with her pet rat’s tumor and regrettably short life expectancy. As she tells the audience about Fupa (named as such because of her fat upper pubic area - because of where the tumor is located) and the myriad of ways she has explored to find a solution, the film takes on a tragic tone as the inevitable sets in. Told with an atmosphere that is one part Juno mixed with two parts The Office, Gustavo Martin’s short film has an offbeat charm and honesty which makes the whole thing utterly endearing. Cody is a magnificent presence on screen with superb comedic timing. One particular highlight is where she describes looking into enlisting the assistance of student vets, so that even if things went south at least someone would be learning. And this is a typical example of the dialogue in the film which is a key ingredient in it's success. Aesthetically, Fupa is a delight to behold. Martin utilises some brilliant shots to capture Cody's quirky nature whilst providing the viewer with a variety of action shots of Fupa running around the place. Even the font which used for character names suits to overall look and feel of the piece brilliantly. On top of this, there are also numerous sequences on location, at the vets or in the woods. This is wonderfully complemented by the sound design provided by Eduardo Patricio which is beautifully contrasting to the story’s tone and makes for an almost coming of age parable. Whilst I believe the film is a documentary, the whole set up feels more like a mockumentary. Cody's dark comedy lines about the tragic situation for her pet are too funny to seem real. Which makes for a compelling viewing experience as you ponder the reality of what you are being presented, and the juxtaposing themes of love and loss play with the viewer’s emotions throughout. Cody's candid poem at the latter end of Fupa being a marvelous example of this bittersweetness. Tonally masterful and directed with tight precision and craft, Gustavo Martin's Fupa is, finally, the film audiences needed to begin to feel compassion towards rats. It is also a brilliantly performed piece with a sterling central performance. Well two if you include Fupa, who is spectacularly aloof about his ordeal. What a champ. #ShortFilmReviews #ShortFilms #ChrisOlson #GustavoMartin #Mockumentary #DocumentaryFilmReviews

★★★★ Written and Directed by Alejandro Montoya Marin Starring Jamie H. Jung, Anna Schatte, Kenneth McGlothin, Sofia Embid, Bonnie Gayle Indie Film Review by Hannah Sayer Monday was a film made under very different yet exciting circumstances. With a budget of only $7,000, the film was shot in only 14 days with no crew and no re shoots allowed. Monday was one of the films featured on Robert Rodriguez’s Rebel Without a Crew TV series. In this series, five filmmakers are given the chance to shoot a feature length film, with only 14 days and on a $7,000 budget. This series was inspired by it being the 25th anniversary since Rodriguez made his first feature-length film, El Mariachi (1992), with the same budget and time constraints. Alejandro Montoya Marin shows with this action comedy his talents even with such obstacles in his way. The film follows Jim, played by Jamie H. Jung, one Monday that turns out to be the worst day of his life. He sleeps in and is late to work, resulting in him getting fired. When he returns home, his girlfriend Alice (Bonnie Gayle) dumps him and throws him out of the house with all of his belongings now in cardboard boxes. She accuses him of having no sense of responsibility as all he does all day is smoke weed, watch TV and play video games. His day turns from bad to worse when he finds out his now ex-girlfriend Alice is sleeping with someone else, who has a hit on him. These two women, The Hitwoman (Anna Schatte) and Sam (Sofia Embid), corner Jim and abduct him in an attempt to get him to kill Alice’s new lover Carlos Laredo (Joseph Perez). Monday is an enjoyable film which looks like it was made with a higher budget. The crisp cinematography and the sharp editing gives Monday a finished look which suggests it was made for a lot more money than $7,000. Jamie H. Jung gives a brilliant performance as Jim whose life is quickly unravelling before his eyes, yet he still has his humour and constantly brings up pop culture references which give the film a refreshingly comedic tone. Monday subverts the classic hitman role by having this character as a woman which is a great twist on what the viewer is overly familiar with. The film also utilizes its great score which brings the whole narrative together. Overall, Monday is an entertaining crowd pleaser which is a real success. Alejandro Montoya Marin has demonstrated his filmmaking abilities and that even with budget, crew and other limitations a film can still be a hit. Watch the official movie trailer for Monday below. #Monday #AlejandroMontoyaMarin #JamieHJung #AnnaSchatte #KennethMcGlothin #SofiaEmbid #BonnieGayle #HannahSayer #IndieFilms #IndieFilmReviews #Action #Comedy #MovieTrailers

★★★ Directed by: Johannes Grenzfurthner Starring: Johannes Grenzfurthner, Stuart Freeman, Daniel Hasibar and Conny Lee Indie Film Review by: Annie Vincent A highly intelligent and topical film, Glossary of Broken Dreams is an engaging epistemological documentary that will have you chuckling about, choking on, and considering the validity of, your political ideology. Johannes Grenzfurthner’s opening gambit is amusing as he details the moment, when he was four years old, that he fell flat on his face on some concrete by a beach in Italy. The moment taught him that he had a difficult condition – he was ‘human’: a condition which experiences broken dreams and relies on narratives, metaphors and linguistic shortcuts to convey our ‘stories’ and it is this that Grenzfurthner compels us to explore and evaluate in his film. He tackles concepts such as ‘capitalism’, ‘privacy’ and ‘freedom’, exploring what that really means through a range of cinematic techniques. Reminiscent of the ‘asides’ of Adam McKay’s The Big Short, Grenzfurthner utilises images, photos, voice-over, direct address, song, subtitles, animation, archive clips and live music to explore social constructs and their contradictory nature. Topical issues are cross-examined under the lenses of history, politics, philosophy and technology with interesting insights and questions resulting. The film explores the seeming-ridiculousness of campaigns for inequality in a society controlled by capitalism; the nonsense of the uproar around ‘fake news’ when all news, by its definition and construction is itself fake; and the irony of society’s desire for privacy yet its reluctance to do the one thing to protect its privacy – stop sharing. But the film doesn’t attempt to convert or pressure its audience into a particular opinion; largely, it offers multiple sides to each argument and raises questions for its audience to consider. You may then ask, well what is the point of this film? It is true that the irony of The Glossary of Broken Dreams is that it too, as highlighted by its end sequence, is a product of capitalism, dependent on it for production and release. So what is our politically-motivated director and writer trying to say. The answer is: I’m not sure, except that it compels us to review our thinking and that of course, is the best place to start when you want to change the world. The main issue with the film is its length. While the eclectic mix of story-telling strategies is engaging, unlike McKay’s film where these moments are ‘asides’ informing aspects of a main narrative – here they are the narrative and at a 99 minute run-time, it can feel a little overwhelming, especially as it is incredibly academic. However, this is a relevant and engaging documentary which offers a creative addition to some of today’s most talked about issues and is worth your cognitive consideration. #johannesgrenzfurthner #politicaldocumentary #AnnieVincent #IndieFilmReviews #IndieFilms #JohannesGrenzfurthner #StuartFreeman #DanielHasibar #ConnyLee

★★ Directed by Abby Kohn, Marc Silverstein Starring Amy Schumer, Michelle Williams, Rory Scovel Film Review by Hope Madden Trainwreck, the 2015 big-screen break out for comic Amy Schumer (and LeBron James and John Cena) offered a wise about-face for the rom-com. Written by Schumer, the film simultaneously embraced and subverted tradition by basically casting a female in the traditionally male role of eternal adolescent who accidentally finds love and, therefore, adulthood. She returns to the romantic comedy with I Feel Pretty, film that is neither romantic nor comedic, unfortunately. Schumer plays Renee Bennett, a perfectly attractive woman. So there’s your first problem. I will give writers/directors Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein credit for one thing. When Bennett hits her head at a spinning class and wakes up believing she’s traffic-stopping gorgeous, at least the film does not stoop to showing us the flawless physical image Renee sees in the mirror. Thanks for that. So, it's only after a traumatic brain injury that Amy Schumer can consider herself attractive. Now she has all the confidence she needs to go after that receptionist gig at the big cosmetics firm. (Wait! A romantic comedy where a receptionist can afford a small but cool NYC apartment? Yes, that checks out.) Things take a turn for the better whenever CEO Avery LeClair (Michelle Williams) appears onscreen. Her weirdly spot-on performance as the baby-voiced heiress is a riot—and the only unpredictable moments in the film belong to her. Schumer does what she can with this superficial, blandly rote script. She has excellent chemistry with her co-stars (Busy Phillips, Aidy Bryant, Rory Scovel), regardless of their underwritten roles. But when you have a comic talent like Schumer on the bill and you still cannot think of anything funnier than seeing a pretty woman fall down, your writing is weak. Let’s not even address the fact that all Renee wants in life is to work for a cosmetics company and maybe, if we all dream big enough, she might be the new face of a cosmetics line! Jesus. In summation, I Feel Pretty is Big meets Shallow Hal, if those films suggested that all Tom Hanks needed was confidence enough to believe he should be objectified, then all would be well. Can Amy Schumer just write the next Amy Schumer movie? Please? #movies #film #entertainment #moviereviews #filmreviews #HopeMdden #AmySchumer #RoryScovel #MichelleWilliams #romanticcomedies #AbbyKohn #MarcSilverstein #comedies