Pretty Ugly People

Bad movie.

REALLY bad movie. Did an adult make this?

Bums me out that loads and loads of money and work go into what is essentially no more than a blatant Todd Solondz-inspired, mean spirited comedy full of cliché characters and obvious jokes and story lines.

Wait, did I say "Todd Solondz-inspired?" Ha. How nice of me. This is a Todd Solondz rip-off. Waste of money. Waste of time. Piece of s**t. Imagine if the guys who own McDonalds attempted to rip-off Todd and you'll have a pretty good idea of how much soul this film has.

Really, though, I can't help but shed a little tear for the film US industry whenever I see a movie like this. Actual adults put their time and money into this project. Bad humor. Bad writing. Bad acting. Great resources. For every $20,000 spent on a film like this, there is a unique indie film maker out there wishing he/she could catch a break.

My 2 girlfriends and I saw this in Palm Springs and thought it was a great piece. It kept me laughing through the entire film, although I thought there were a few too many "F" words and felt they detracted from the enjoyment. You didn't need them! The actors were great and look forward to seeing them again. Thanks for being at the screening--I enjoyed the background about the movie. I now have a better understanding about the pitfalls there can be in making a low budget, independent film and how you over came so many to make a great film. I can't wait for your next venture..."The Help". Hopefully the Palm Springs Film Festival will not reject that one or any others you plan to submit.

Was the goal here to present a bunch of awful people, with no redeeming qualities, and have them have a near-death experience to humanize them?

Was the goal to show how "ugly" all these "friends" are and have no one realize the error of their ways?

Or was just a swing and a miss on behalf of the studio?

In any case, I kept watching hoping someone would be a good person and no one ever was. They all sucked, they shouldn't be friends and all the interpersonal relationships were based on self-interest. How they got all these amazing actors to take part in beyond me.

Pretty Ugly People is pretty unremarkable. The set-up and general tone of the movie would suggest a quirky independent romp. It may aim for this title, but it's mostly bland and patronizing. A big lass loses weight and arranges a trip for some friends. They all learn valuable lessons and "discover" themselves. These characters aren't horrible enough for any grand changes, nor or they nice enough to actually like. The protagonist is the biggest bitch of all, allowing her friends to believe she is dying. It's a horrible tactic that only the best writing could salvage a heart from. Unfortunately, such talented scripting is absent here.

I went to see this today at the Laemmle Sunset. I like Missy Pyle, but 15-20 minutes in and she had barely appeared. What showed up instead were an entirely implausible group of "friends" spouting banal, dreary quips about how they still happened to be connected--which I did not buy in the least.

I was pleased that the cameo from the always-marvelous Allison Janney came within those first 15 minutes. It wasn't well-written, but she did the best she could.

After a joke about black people being noticeable in the West because there are so few of them was made not once, but 3 times, I walked out. Life's too short for bad work like this nonsense.