No Hard Feelings (B or 3/4 stars)
Jennifer Lawrence's comedic chops are on full display in Gene Stupnitsky's 'No Hard Feelings', a raunchy sex comedy 'with heart' that recalls There's Something About Mary & The 40 Year Old Virgin. Wealthy helicopter parents, Allison & Laird Becker (Laura Benanti, Matthew Broderick), are muchly concerned about their 19 yr. old son, Percy (Andrew Barth Feldman), who is scheduled to start classes at Princeton in the fall. He has no close friends, has issues socializing; in fact, he barely leaves the sanctity of his bedroom, except to work at the local animal shelter in Montauk, Long Island, New York.
In an ill-conceived effort to find Percy a 'girlfriend' - really, someone who can teach him the art of dating AND sex - Allison & Laird list an unusual ad on Craigslist for a vivacious, open-minded woman in her early-mid 20s, with a much-needed Buick Regal as the just reward. Maddie Barker (Lawrence), a bartending townie, has just had her car repossessed - something an Uber driver, like herself, would desperately need. The IRS is after her for property tax bills on the cozy little house that her deceased mom left her. And so, desperate to not lose her childhood home, Maddie answers the listing. Even after she admits that she is 32 yrs. old, the Beckers are won-over by Maddie's dopey charms and, even though she's a touch older, they approve of her meeting Percy and offering to "date his brains out". Hijinks ensue.
'No Hard Feelings' is - comedically – a hit-&-miss romp, but is consistently saved by Jennifer Lawrence's star performance & her sweet chemistry with Andrew Barth Feldman. The script contains some cliched humor centered around awkward young men, but it also has a goodly amount of laugh out loud moments. With no car, watching Maddie rollerblading to meet Percy's parents with a long line of cars behind her is a funny sight; particularly, since strapped-for-$$ Maddie is living in Montauk, a playground for the wealthy. But then, watching her navigate the stairs outside the Becker's lavish home in her rollerblades falls flat. The visual lingers long & I was not laughing. Really, there are several occasions where a witless joke's timing felt way off.
There are more than a few preposterous comedy set pieces, as well. Said preposterous segments don't always hit the mark, but some are outrageous in a good way. i.e., when 3 drunk teens steal Maddie & Percy's clothes while they're skinny-dipping, Maddie storms out of the water in an elongated full-frontal scene to kick the teens' butts. My mouth was agape, as were mouths in my theater. But laughs could be heard in this scene, and in many others. My theater thoroughly enjoying this movie might've contributed to my overall enjoyment, as well. At another point, Maddie is so aggressive in getting Percy to lighten up that she gets maced by him; the way she plays it elicits guffaw. And there are other slapsticky scenes that had my gasping for air.
Overall, the film is more humorous than it isn't, and it is more moving than anticipated. That former sentiment is a direct result of Lawrence's adept, no holds barred physical performance, as well as the sweet-&-sour, yin-&-yang rapport that she has with Feldman. Lawrence - someone I've respected for her acting acumen, if not always the films she partakes in - exudes the right amount of brave sexuality, droll comic timing, down-to-earthness & sensitivity to make this a 'comedy with heart', rather than a shallow, absurdist romp. Feldman, who is well-versed in musical theater, is perfectly cast as the shy, nerdy Percy whose confidence grows as he experiences more misadventures with Maddie. But they bond, as well, in some lovely soul-bearing scenes. And his piano & vocal rendition of Hall & Pates' "Maneater" is exquisite; and Lawrence's reaction shots during this moment are quite poignant.
Despite the script's slightly underwhelming build-up to the end, I liked Feldman's character transformation & where these two main characters will go. These are two very different people who are going nowhere fast, afraid of life, yet somehow help each other stop being afraid. Nudity, slapstick & profanity aside, this surprisingly sweet movie also takes an interesting look as grief, economic equality, & arrested development of youth. Taking the good with the not-so-good, I was still won-over more often than not by the low-stakes comedy, the wit, & the heart of 'No Hard Feelings' and, I find it to be one of the more entertaining movies of 2023, thus far.
In an ill-conceived effort to find Percy a 'girlfriend' - really, someone who can teach him the art of dating AND sex - Allison & Laird list an unusual ad on Craigslist for a vivacious, open-minded woman in her early-mid 20s, with a much-needed Buick Regal as the just reward. Maddie Barker (Lawrence), a bartending townie, has just had her car repossessed - something an Uber driver, like herself, would desperately need. The IRS is after her for property tax bills on the cozy little house that her deceased mom left her. And so, desperate to not lose her childhood home, Maddie answers the listing. Even after she admits that she is 32 yrs. old, the Beckers are won-over by Maddie's dopey charms and, even though she's a touch older, they approve of her meeting Percy and offering to "date his brains out". Hijinks ensue.
'No Hard Feelings' is - comedically – a hit-&-miss romp, but is consistently saved by Jennifer Lawrence's star performance & her sweet chemistry with Andrew Barth Feldman. The script contains some cliched humor centered around awkward young men, but it also has a goodly amount of laugh out loud moments. With no car, watching Maddie rollerblading to meet Percy's parents with a long line of cars behind her is a funny sight; particularly, since strapped-for-$$ Maddie is living in Montauk, a playground for the wealthy. But then, watching her navigate the stairs outside the Becker's lavish home in her rollerblades falls flat. The visual lingers long & I was not laughing. Really, there are several occasions where a witless joke's timing felt way off.
There are more than a few preposterous comedy set pieces, as well. Said preposterous segments don't always hit the mark, but some are outrageous in a good way. i.e., when 3 drunk teens steal Maddie & Percy's clothes while they're skinny-dipping, Maddie storms out of the water in an elongated full-frontal scene to kick the teens' butts. My mouth was agape, as were mouths in my theater. But laughs could be heard in this scene, and in many others. My theater thoroughly enjoying this movie might've contributed to my overall enjoyment, as well. At another point, Maddie is so aggressive in getting Percy to lighten up that she gets maced by him; the way she plays it elicits guffaw. And there are other slapsticky scenes that had my gasping for air.
Overall, the film is more humorous than it isn't, and it is more moving than anticipated. That former sentiment is a direct result of Lawrence's adept, no holds barred physical performance, as well as the sweet-&-sour, yin-&-yang rapport that she has with Feldman. Lawrence - someone I've respected for her acting acumen, if not always the films she partakes in - exudes the right amount of brave sexuality, droll comic timing, down-to-earthness & sensitivity to make this a 'comedy with heart', rather than a shallow, absurdist romp. Feldman, who is well-versed in musical theater, is perfectly cast as the shy, nerdy Percy whose confidence grows as he experiences more misadventures with Maddie. But they bond, as well, in some lovely soul-bearing scenes. And his piano & vocal rendition of Hall & Pates' "Maneater" is exquisite; and Lawrence's reaction shots during this moment are quite poignant.
Despite the script's slightly underwhelming build-up to the end, I liked Feldman's character transformation & where these two main characters will go. These are two very different people who are going nowhere fast, afraid of life, yet somehow help each other stop being afraid. Nudity, slapstick & profanity aside, this surprisingly sweet movie also takes an interesting look as grief, economic equality, & arrested development of youth. Taking the good with the not-so-good, I was still won-over more often than not by the low-stakes comedy, the wit, & the heart of 'No Hard Feelings' and, I find it to be one of the more entertaining movies of 2023, thus far.