Hurts Good

When it comes to Oscar-nominated Best Pictures from last year, I think I may have reached the end of the ones I'm actually interested in seeing. But there are still plenty of other 2023 movies I'd like to get to. One I recently checked off was You Hurt My Feelings.

Beth is a published memoir writer who has been working on her first novel. Her world is rocked when she overhears her husband Don confess to a friend that he doesn't actually like the book. Can she even stay in a relationship with someone who doesn't like her writing... and lies straight to her face about it? Meanwhile, Don is going through his own problems in his job as a therapist. He's beginning to suspect he's not actually good at that job.

This movie comes from writer-director Nicole Holofcener, and stars Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Beth and Tobias Menzies as Don. It's a tight little comedy-drama that in 90 brisk minutes manages to thoroughly explore the topic of "white lies" -- the lies we tell our loved ones, and the lies we tell ourselves. They're lies we tell with the best of intentions... but they can be taken as having anything but.

The particulars of the story may not be universal (though I'll bet there are more "aspiring novelists" among my blog readers than there are in the general population). Still, the simple topic of "white lies" is so completely universal that the movie really can't say anything profound that an audience doesn't already know. That's ok; the movie doesn't have to be revelatory. It can just be occasionally quite funny, and generally quite fun.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus is synonymous with comedy, but isn't known for many dramatic roles. Tobias Menzies has starred in a long list of dramas, and hasn't done much comedy. Together, the two make a great team. Each of them does well the thing you expect they'll do well. But they're also both great scene partners, able to bring out the more unexpected quality from the other. They're supported by a great supporting cast including Michaela Watkins, Arian Moayed, Owen Teague, and Zach Cherry. And for extra fun, real-life spouses Amber Tamblyn and David Cross play a feuding couple that Don is utterly failing to help in therapy.

I'd be surprised if You Hurt My Feelings made many people's "best of" lists for 2023 films. But I'd be equally surprised to hear of someone watching it and not enjoying it. It's a solid movie I'd rate a solid B.