Holofcener is very good at sketching out her characters and making them feel both very real and very flawed. In other words, human. That’s no easy feat, but the filmmaker makes it look so breezy and light. But “You Hurt My Feelings” wouldn’t work nearly as well as it does were it not for the cast. Louis-Dreyfus has already established herself as one of the funniest actors working right now, and she continues to ply her charms throughout. Menzies is a wonderful surprise — I’m so used to seeing him play stiff-upper-lip-type characters that I didn’t realize he could be this funny. Moayed’s part is slightly smaller but garners some of the biggest laughs. And Watkins swoops in and kind of steals the entire film as the supportive-but-tired Sara.
One of the things that makes “You Hurt My Feelings” so enjoyable is that it’s simply a film about adults having adult conversations. They drift around New York, or hang out in apartments and bars, and just … talk. That might sound boring, but the snappy script and hilarious performances keep everything buoyant. It’s so damn refreshing to watch a movie about people; just ordinary people, going about their ordinary lives and butting up against normal problems. No franchises, no superheroes, no big special effects. It recalls some of the early films of Woody Allen, but … without the baggage. “When Harry Met Sally” also feels like a heavy influence here, and honestly, we don’t get many movies like that anymore — and we should. Holofcener is one of the few filmmakers out there still striving to make films like this on this scale, and I hope she keeps doing so for years to come.
/Film Rating: 7 out of 10