With a comedy-centric career spanning over 41 years, Julia Louis-Dreyfus is easily one of Hollywood’s most established and funniest figures. Like all the great comedians, she started as a cast of the much-celebrated American TV program with a whopping 87 Emmys, Saturday Night Live in 1982, becoming the youngest female member in SNL’s history at that time. Afterward, Louis-Dreyfus didn’t stray far from the Emmy glory as she was rewarded eight Emmy trophies in recognition of her brilliant acting performance of Elaine Benes in Seinfeld, Christine Campbell in The New Adventures of Old Christine, and Selina Meyer in Veep. An awe-inspiring TV legend, that woman is.
However, her prowess isn’t solely reserved for TV; Louis-Dreyfus has had a fair share of showcasing her acting chops for movies, including MCU’s Black Widow, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (as well as the upcoming Thunderbolts), Enough Said, Downhill, You People, and most recently, You Hurt My Feelings. Indeed, the last one, in particular, had already premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 22 and had garnered quite positive reviews, with the fulfilling record of 96% Rotten Tomatoes score currently tagging along. Still, it has yet to be made available for standard public viewing, and wouldn’t it be best to come into the theatres all excited and informed? Therefore, in the spirit of wishing the most optimized viewing experience to all, without further ado, here’s everything to know about You Hurt My Feelings.
You Hurt My Feelings: The Plot
For someone who’s done comedy for decades, it’d be a crime to deprive Louis-Dreyfus of the opportunity to flaunt her forte in this comedy-drama, a.k.a dramedy, picture. Thus, You Hurt My Feelings features her as Beth, a novelist grappling with a lack of self-confidence who finds her long-standing, peaceful marriage upended when she overhears her also professionally struggling therapist of a husband, Don, giving a brutally honest opinion of her latest book she’s trying to sell, in contrast to the blind support and praise he’s expressed to her for years — hence, the title, which was initially Beth and Don. Of course, the magnitude of the plot will be balanced with a twist of humor.
The movie’s official trailer posted on Mar. 21 depicts exactly that: a heartwarming, realistic slice-of-life story of a mature marriage life’s ups and downs presented in a way that’s as hilarious as it is true to life. And perhaps it was for the sake of in-depth storytelling and more creative freedom that the film settled on the R-rating. Ergo, it should be wise to expect to meet a couple of foul-mouthed characters and F-bombs dropped here and there.
You Hurt My Feelings: The Cast
As mentioned above, Louis-Dreyfus will star in You Hurt My Feelings as the protagonist, Beth, while the Emmy-winning The Crown actor Tobias Menzies will act in the role of the leading man, Don. Both seasoned performers, their chemistry as husband and wife is bound to be terrific. Starring alongside them with just as substantial roles are Louis-Dreyfus’ fellow SNL alum, Michaela Watkins, and Succession’s Arian Moayed playing Sarah, Beth’s sister, and Mark, Sarah’s husband, respectively. Out of sisterly bond, Sarah skillfully helps Beth cope with the pain of betrayal on account of Don’s fake compliment, for she, too, has her own husband problem: Mark’s flailing acting career.
Joining the four stars are the familiar bunch we often see on screen or stand-up stage. Owen Teague (It, To Leslie) plays Elliott, Beth and Don’s son. The Oscar-nominated Jeannie Berlin (The Heartbreak Kid, The Fabelmans) is Georgia, the mother of Beth and Sarah. Zach Cherry (Severance) pops out, too, as Jim. And a real-life wedded pair, Amber Tamblyn (The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants) and David Cross (Arrested Development) will also appear as Carolyn and Jonathan, a couple who is a client of Don’s therapist practice. Rounding out the cast list next are LaTanya Richardson Jackson (Grey’s Anatomy), Sarah Steele (The Good Fight), Sunita Mani (Spirited), Deniz Akdeniz (The Flight Attendant), and Clara Wong (Billions).
Release Date
Set to be distributed by A24, You Hurt My Feelings is slated for a theatrical release on May 26, going head-to-head with Disney’s live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid and Gerard Butler’s Kandahar.
Everything Else We Know
The leading mind behind You Hurt My Feelings is none other than the stalwart indie filmmaker Nicole Holofcener, most notably known for her sole writing and directing credit on numerous acclaimed dramedy features, namely Walking and Talking, Friends with Money, and Enough Said — marking her second collaboration with Louis-Dreyfus.
With production companies FilmNation Entertainment and Likely Story backing, not only does Holofcener direct and screenwrite the film, but she also takes the producer chair, along with Louis-Dreyfus, as well as Likely Story’s co-founders Anthony Bregman and Stefanie Azpiazu.
Filming has, of course, wrapped up. However, as the flick takes place in New York City, the principal photography was conducted there around early May last year. At one point, Louis-Dreyfus was spotted enjoying a soft serve with Watkins. Although, it is unclear whether the ice cream is part of the scene or simply a snack break. So, that’s one fun mystery to look out for in the flick.