You Hurt My Feelings

If you miss Selena from Veep or Elaine from Seinfeld, Julia Louis Dreyfus is back to remind you of both of her iconic characters in this sharply observed comedy about ego death, marriage, and midlife crises, and the lies we often rely on to survive them all.

But You Hurt My Feelings goes a few layers deeper than the sitcoms Julia Louis Dreyfus is known for. Beth is crushed when she learns what her husband really thinks of her latest work, and begins to emotionally distance herself. Don, meanwhile, has his own career crisis. He’s beginning to question whether he’s a good therapist, and it doesn’t help that his clients make passive-aggressive or direct comments about their lack of progress from his sessions.

Yet the actors manage to keep the humor and lighter tone afloat despite all of the unraveling. Don’s encounters with his patients, especially couple Carolyn and Jonathan (Amber Tamblyn and David Cross, a real life couple), were some of my favorites, and the banter between them had me nearly falling out of my seat.

With all its lighter moments, the film underscores the very real and relatable crises of the characters with cinematography that captures New York’s many contrasts. Every location, from park scenes to interiors, fills in the spaces with intrigue.

What sets You Hurt My Feelings apart, however, is its ability to resonate with anyone plagued with self doubt or anyone performing the tightrope act that is balancing honesty with empathy in their relationships. That’s a fairly big audience for a smaller film, which explains why you can only watch this one in theaters.