‘You Hurt My Feelings’ Blu-Ray Review – Hilariously Relatable And Effortlessly Insightful

This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the movie being covered here wouldn’t exist.

From acclaimed filmmaker Nicole Holofcener comes a sharply observed comedy about a novelist whose longstanding marriage is suddenly upended when she overhears her husband give his honest reaction to her latest book. A film about trust, lies, and the things we say to the people we love most.

For in-depth thoughts on You Hurt My Feelings, please see my colleague Mike Vaughn’s review from its original theatrical release here.

Video Quality

Lionsgate Home Entertainment brings You Hurt My Feelings to Blu-Ray with a fetching 1080p video presentation in its original 1.85:1. The image is pristine with the natural color palette emanating off the screen. The film employs distinct splashes of bold colors within the costumes, locations and production design which is a joy to observe. These elements also provide crisp and clear textural details which add to the tactile nature of the frame. Highlights show no signs of blooming, and the black levels are nice and deep with no egregious digital noise. Flesh tones are natural with a striking amount of detail present in close-ups. The presentation provides a substantial amount of depth on display, especially when the characters are walking throughout the city. Lionsgate has treated this one really well. 

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray comes with a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that capably brings this story to life. Dialogue always comes through without issue as it avoids being overwhelmed by any competing sounds. This is a very low-key narrative, but the environmental sounds of each setting make the world feel alive. The score complements the tone of this journey as it fills the speakers with unwavering fidelity. There are fleeting elements which engage the low end, but it is not the type of movie you pull out to show off your sound system. Ambient noises are precisely placed in the rear channels for good spatial dynamics. The audio track proves to be a great sounding presentation for this feature.  There are optional English SDH and Spanish subtitles provided. 

Special Features

• Audio Commentary: Writer/Director Nicole Holofcener and Actor/Producer Julia Louis-Dreyfus provide an absolutely delightful commentary track in which they discuss their experiences making the film, memories of the ensemble, inspirations they drew upon from their real life, improvised lines, eating on film, directing from an iPad when Holofcener came down with COVID and more.

• Just Being Honest – Making Of You Hurt My Feelings: A 20-minute featurette in which the cast and creative team discuss the development of the story, personal elements woven into the script, finding the humor within the authenticity, the complexity of the characters, what the performers bring to their characters, the direction of Nicole Holofcener and more. 

Final Thoughts

You Hurt My Feelings is one of the true gems from the first half of the year, as it tackles relatable insecurities in a truly funny and touching manner. Nicole Holofcener is one of our great writers, and every time she has a new movie it is important to take note. The relationship she has with Julia Louis-Dreyfus is a match made in heaven, and Tobias Menzies fits into their world like a glove. This is the type of gentle character-driven dramedy which we crave more of at all times. Lionsgate Home Entertainment has released a Blu-Ray with a pretty excellent A/V presentation and a couple of welcome special features. If you love any member of the creative team or find the premise amusing, do yourself a favor and pick this one up soon. Recommended

You Hurt My Feelings is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital. 

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Lionsgate Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.