Primarily known for her Emmy award winning roles on TV’s Seinfeld and Veep, Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ recent feature work has more than suggested that she’s the go-to actor to portray inescapable awkwardness in situational comedy.  While Downhill and You People may have succeeded in securing broader laughs, writer/director Nicole Holofcener’s latest dramedy You Hurt My Feelings gives Louis-Dreyfus the opportunity to be more confrontational, allowing her to dig deeper into a character’s take on personal betrayal.

Across from Louis-Dreyfus is her ideal scene partner, Emmy award winner Tobias Menzies.  Both of them play partners who are committed to each other in a transparent marriage.  Their perspectives are rocked when marriage therapist Don (Menzies) is caught being very honest about the newest novel Beth (Louis-Dreyfus) has been working on.  The truth is revealed in a sitcom-esque fashion with Beth overhearing oblivious Don in a busy store, and then going into a spell of confusion that teeters on hyperventilation.  However, instead of continuing to resemble a sitcom, Beth calls out Don, which initiates challenges about the level of truth in their relationship.

Holofcener is no stranger to these types of private stories (Friends with Money, Please Give), and her reunion with Julia Louis-Dreyfus (after collaborating on 2013’s Enough Said) is much appreciated.  It doesn’t feel like either are retreading worn or repetitive material with You Hurt My Feelings, but the film’s freshness is mostly due to its cast.  When paired with Holofcener’s honest writing, her actors are allowed to further elevate the material by what they contribute to the filmmaker’s character work.  Despite their aggravation with each other, Louis-Dreyfus’ Beth, in all her frustration and heartbreak, clicks really well with Menzies’ Don as he clumsily finds the balance of support between sympathy and his integrity.

The breaks within this conflict are timed out well with slight tangents about the ambitions of their son (Owen Teague), a similar revelation between Beth’s encouraging sister (Michaela Watkins) and her actor husband (Arian Moayed) who is hitting a dry spell of inspiration, and therapy sessions featuring an aggravated couple Don is failing to mediate (the patrons played hilariously by real-life couple David Cross and Amber Tamblyn).

You Hurt My Feelings doesn’t make compromises to find easy answers and relieve tension.  Holofcener and company trust their audience can understand the reasoning behind the narrative and the emotional comprehension of its characters.  But while these developments may be relatable and even cathartic to some, they don’t get in the way of big and expertly mannered laughs.

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Addison Wylie: @AddisonWylie