Film Review: You Hurt My Feelings falls short on the matter of little white lies

Arian Moayed and Michaela Watkins in You Hurt My Feelings.

You Hurt My Feelings

★★★☆☆

Prime Video

The consequences of white lies sit at the heart of You Hurt My Feelings (15), which sees a woman decide that she wants to be told the truth but isn’t sure if she is ready to handle the pain that can come with it.

On paper, novelist Beth (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and therapist Don (Tobias Menzies) have a good marriage. 

They are proud of their 23-year-old son Elliot (Owen Teague) but aren’t too sure if they approve of the weed shop he works in. 

They are not against weed; they are that type of white middle-class couple who like to indulge on occasion.

Beth’s last book went down well with critics but didn’t sell as expected, so she is nervous about her latest work. 

David Cross and Amber Tamblyn in You Hurt My Feelings.

Thankfully, Don has read all the drafts and reassures Beth how good it is. 

Beth trusts Don; he loves her, and he has always supported her, so, of course, she trusts him to speak with truth, but when she overhears him telling her brother-in-law Mark (Arian Moayed) how bad the book is, Beth loses it. 

Beth’s sister Sarah (Michaela Watkins) insists that that’s what supportive partners do, but Beth can’t separate white lies from giant great fibs and begins to realise that white lies are everywhere, she even catches herself lying to protect someone’s feelings. 

Can she break the cycle of lies or accept that sometimes white lies are the best thing for a peaceful life? 

The film sometimes feels flat despite an excellent Louis-Dreyfus and some sharp, funny dialogue. 

It is watchable but not the most memorable film you will see this year. No lie in that.