You Hurt My Feelings

The great Nicole Holofcener (Walking and Talking, Please Give, Enough Said) returns with another of her signature sharp, urbane relationship comedy-dramas focused on the insecurities and misunderstandings of upper-class white ladies and the self-doubting men who love them. As always, Holofcener's dialog makes us laugh because it rings so authentically true.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus stars as Beth, a writer and writing teacher living in Manhattan with her therapist husband, Don (Tobias Menzies). Happily married for ages, they clearly have a solid relationship. But Don is starting to question if he's any good at his job, and Beth, who archived minor success with a memoir she published years ago, is having trouble publishing her first novel. Things come to a small crisis for them when Beth discovers that Don hasn't been entirely honest with all the positive feedback he's given her on each draft of her new book. 

It's a simple premise with stakes that aren't exactly high but are highly relatable to just about anyone who's been in a romantic relationship. The film explores the delicate balance between being supportive of your partner and being honest with your partner: how it's often hard to be both and how the line between honesty and encouragement is different for each individual. As someone who lands 99% on the honesty end of that particular spectrum, I found the film both an interesting anthropological study and a hilarious near-satire of how criticism is conveyed and perceived in contemporary culture.

Michaela Watkins plays Beth's sister, and Jeannie Berlin plays her mother. Both are inspired casting choices as all three actors look and act like they're related. David Cross and Amber Tamblyn (who are married in real life) bring a broader humor, playing a toxic couple in unsuccessful therapy with Don.