‘No Hard Feelings’ Review: If Anything, Jennifer Lawrence Is Truly a Movie Star
Maddie (Jennifer Lawrence) and Percy (Andrew Barth Feldman) in Columbia Pictures' NO HARD FEELINGS. © 2023 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Just how far can a comedy push the line between okay and straight-up wrong? This is one question (among others) brought up by No Hard Feelings, a comedy that, if you reverse the genders of the two leads, would likely be highly problematic (but hey, at least its leads don’t want it to age well). That said, it’s (on paper) problematic nature — one played to perfection by leading actors Jennifer Lawrence and Andrew Barth Feldman — might be what makes the movie so charming, though it is very make or break, varying person-to-person. The film’s opening minutes introduce us to Maddie (Lawrence), a Montauk native who may or may not be great at paying her taxes (spoiler — she’s not) and, as a result, has her car towed (which is even worse because she’s an Uber driver).
Maddie (Jennifer Lawrence) and Percy (Andrew Barth Feldman) in Columbia Pictures' NO HARD FEELINGS. © 2023 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
This leads her to a Craiglist post that offers a free car to anyone who can “date” 19-year-old Percy (Feldman), a shy, Princeton-bound teen whose parents desperately want to get out of his shell (to be clear, by date, they mean to sleep with). This leads her to befriend Percy, who’s currently volunteering at an animal shelter, which prompts one of Lawrence’s outstanding line deliveries — “Can I touch your wiener?.. The dog.” The two quickly become closer as Maddie, desperately trying to seduce the much younger Percy, hopes to complete the task, get the car, and fix her life — but of course, nothing is ever that easy.
Lawrence, in her first full-on comedic role, is hilariously committed, though she’s held back due to the fact that she’s forced to walk the line of coming across as sweet versus being overbearing, working with a script that feels unsure of itself, coming across as more of a first draft with a lack of tonal cohesion and clear ideas, with a fair amount of scenes in the late second act and a third act that don’t contribute to the plot. They’re clearly intended to, over the course of five or so minutes, introduce the slightest character development into the film in the most stereotypical, predictable way possible.
The script, written by (director) Gene Stupnitsky (Good Boys, Bad Teacher) and John Phillips (Dirty Grandpa), isn’t inherently funny on its own, desperately hoping that the people delivering the dialogue can sell it better than it’s written. That’s not to say that it’s all bad — Andrew Barth Feldman reacting to the sound of a pool ball being hit is one of many genuine laugh-out-loud moments — but it’s incredibly generic when it comes to the specific plot beats, though the story is something we haven’t really seen done before. That said, the plot can feel incredibly dated, though it maintains the best parts of the raunchy comedies that came before it.
Percy (Andrew Barth Feldman) and Maddie (Jennifer Lawrence) in Columbia Pictures' NO HARD FEELINGS. © 2023 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
For a comedy, No Hard Feelings is occasionally funny but not consistently enough to market it as a strong one. Multiple sequences are hilarious, but it’s not consistent, maybe because of the writing, the plot, or something in between. As soon as the film finds its footing, we know what’s going to happen. It’s painfully obvious and filled with tropes, though there are some scenes absurd enough to subvert expectations — particularly one at night on a beach.
The moments when the film leans into its title of no hard feelings and gets real with its characters is when it’s at its strongest, though, like before, is extremely tired. The way the film uses a Chinese finger trap in multiple ways, for plot and for humor, however, is truly impressive. There’s something heartfelt about the resolution, though, with strong messages about growing up, even if they’re from a movie of this nature. Look, No Hard Feelings isn’t the best comedy ever, but it does two things: It proves that Jennifer Lawrence is truly the definition of a movie star (it feels unlikely that this would be getting the amount of attention it is without her) and creates a star-making turn for Andrew Barth Feldman, — whose rendition of Maneater is phenomenal (and used well in the film as a whole) — though he may end up being restricted to this role because he plays it so well.
No Hard Feelings arrives in theaters on June 23.
