Amidst the writers and actors strikes in Hollywood comes the latest film from Nicole Holofcener, one of America’s most acclaimed contemporary screenwriters. Set in modern-day Manhattan, romantic comedy drama You Hurt My Feelings follows author Beth (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) as she in the process of writing a novel. Worried that it won’t live up to the success of her well received memoir, she is shocked and upset to learn that her husband Don (Tobias Menzies) isn’t too fond of her fiction, and this revelation causes a complicated conflict in their happy marriage.
Immersed in the lives of a comfortable couple in New York City, this is undoubtedly a first-world-problems narrative. However, the difficulties faced by a writer and a therapist who spend their weekends attending art exhibitions and picnicking in Central Park are made compelling due to Holofcener’s incisive script. Levelling the playing field, she taps into the universal feeling of self-doubt that we can all come up against, and the complexities around loving the person you’re with whilst also supporting their creative endeavours. Every key character within the tight-knit plot is dealing with their own career crisis, and the writing tackles this very frankly and with a refreshing sense of humour.
Delivering the thoughtful dialogue with aplomb, the cast are on terrific form. Louis-Dreyfus and Menzies manage to make Beth and Don relatable and, more importantly likeable, despite their somewhat privileged circumstances. Their relationship is so touchy-feely and affectionate that it amusingly repels their son Eliot (Owen Teague) but communicating their closeness in the early stages serves the story well, considering the wedge that is ultimately driven between them. Stellar support comes from Michaela Watkins and Arian Moayed who portray Beth’s sister and her husband Mark respectively. Their input is often illustrated in walking-talking city scenes of snappy conversation that you would associate with the films of Woody Allen, a strong influence on Holofcener’s style as a director both aesthetically and in the type of insecure characters she brings to the screen.
Masterfully pitched with the right balance of sweetness and cynicism, You Hurt My Feelings is another indie triumph from writer-director Nicole Holofcener. Recognising that in life there are no easy answers to our dilemmas and that not everything is black and white, this brilliantly nuanced film is content with showing its working in the grey.
You Hurt My Feelings will be streaming on Prime Video from 8th August
Cinema Perspective 