Jennifer Lawrence is back! This time in a raunchy comedy from Gene Stupnitsky (Bad Teacher, Good Boys). The Oscar winner has shown her comedic chops in films such as Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle, but this was Lawrence’s first full-blown comedy. The official synopsis for No Hard Feelings is below:
On the brink of losing her childhood home, Maddie (Jennifer Lawrence) discovers an intriguing job listing: wealthy helicopter parents looking for someone to “date” their introverted 19-year-old son, Percy, before he leaves for college. To her surprise, Maddie soon discovers the awkward Percy is no sure thing.
No Hard Feelings came out to decent reviews heavily praising Jennifer’s comedic and dramatic chops. Though No Hard Feelings doesn’t get as wild and raunchy as the title might suggest, it’s still a fun and light-hearted film that has a surprising amount of sentimentality.
The Story Is Safe, But A Still A Good Time Overall
When you think of sex comedies, films like American Pie or The 40-Year-Old-Virgin come to mind. During their releases, these two movies broke the mold of what a comedy should be and generated memorable quotes and laughs that are recited to this very day. More importantly, these films weren’t just about the sex. There was a deeper meaning about love and relationships, with sex being the gimmick that drove the plot in hilarious ways.
Unfortunately, No Hard Feelings isn’t the raunchy comedy that brings something new to the table when it comes to this topic. On the flip side, it’s refreshing to see a guy being the “virgin” and not being labeled a weirdo or loser for not having sex. It’s great that the film goes against the stereotype that men’s thoughts or actions are dominated by sex.
It showcases that guys can be romantic and relationship-driven as well. Still, that isn’t particularly different from The 40-Year-Old-Virgin, where Andy eventually discovered that love, marriage, then sex are the most necessary components instead of random one-night stands with women who wouldn’t remember his name an hour later. Though it doesn’t strike gold in the originality department, it still has some good laughs within it. The film goes more sentimentally in the final act, but it’s a well-earned notion since Gene Stupnitsky does a good job of exploring the characters and their issues. The film doesn’t go deep enough because it’s still a comedy, but it does just enough to not make it feel half-baked or rushed.
Jennifer Lawrence and Andrew Barth Feldman Have Excellent Chemistry
Not surprisingly, this is a vehicle for Jennifer Lawrence and she knocks it out of the park. I like that there’s no judgment for her character as well. It could’ve been easy since she’s essentially trying to have sex with a 19-year-old for a car, but the film cleverly manages to flesh out her character in unexpected ways. Maddie is scarred over her father abandoning her. That story plays out nicely and Lawrence’s dramatic chops help audiences connect with her character. She’s a flawed human being, and given the nature that she’s playing with a kid’s emotions for an object, she never veers into unlikeable territory.
The Oscar winner nails it on the comedy side as well. As previously mentioned, Jennifer has shown her comedic and dramatic chops in past films, but she feels right at home fulfilling the raunchier aspects of No Hards Feelings. Of course, it helps when you have great chemistry with your co-stars and Andrew Feldman as Percy is a perfect foil for the veteran actress. He’s able to match the ridiculous moments with great energy, but he nicely carries the dramatic moments on his end as well.
The supporting characters are fine, especially Matthew Broderick and Laura Benanti as Percy’s parents, but they’re not given much to do on the comedic front. That doesn’t weigh down No Hard Feelings by any means, but the most laughs you’ll get is from Percy or Maddie.
No Hard Feelings Is A Fun Time
No Hard Feelings may be predictable and a bit melodramatic, but it’s still worth a watch overall. It genuinely feels like a classic comedy from the early’s 2000’s, but in a good way. Hopefully, we see more of Jennifer Lawrence in full-blown comedies because she’s a pro at this genre.
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