A knock on the head turns Schumer’s character into a knockout.
Although the Tom Hanks classic Big gets a name-check here, it really feels more like an inverted variation on Shallow Hal — and in any case, a high-concept comedy almost always lives or dies based on the central performance. Amy Schumer plays Renee Bennett, a woman whose discontent with her physical appearance vanishes after she awakens from a knock on the head convinced that the woman in the mirror is now drop-dead gorgeous. There’s an inevitability to the narrative arc by writer/directors Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein — the real beauty was inside you the whole time, etc. — and at times the script feels thin on actual jokes.
But Schumer nails both sides of her work as Renee, including early glances at herself conveying an almost heartbreaking self-loathing, and she’s aided by a terrific supporting cast including Rory Scovel (as Renee’s ordinary-guy love interest), Michelle Williams (as a helium-voiced fashion maven) and Aidy Bryant (as Renee’s gal-pal). While there may be nothing earth-shaking in the empowerment message, Schumer gives her all to conveying that nothing is more attractive than confidence, whether it’s rational or irrational.
