No Hard Feelings Movie Review

Jennifer Lawrence brings her signature take-it-or-leave-it confidence to this brash comedy, co-written and directed by Gene Stupnitsky. The movie could have easily descended into a vulgar R-rated gross-out, but the actress and her co-star Andrew Barth Feldman spiff things up with sensitivity. No Hard Feelings leans into a certain kind of sentimentalism, with the lead pair establishing an unlikely friendship that hints at something deeper than their differences.

Starring Jennifer Lawrence

Jennifer Lawrence is a movie star who knows how to deliver a big-screen comedy. No Hard Feelings — a raunchy summer comedy starring her as a 30-something hired to seduce a shy and friendless teen boy (Andrew Barth Feldman) — isn’t exactly the kind of look movie film that passes the plausibility test, but it works because Lawrence and director Gene Stupnitsky (“Good Boys”) know what they’re doing. The two lead actors have great chemistry and Lawrence brings brazen theatrical sexiness to the role, even as the movie veers into hoary clichés.

What begins as a crude sex farce (Maddie has to go full frontal on a beach, fight high school kids while nude, and get maced in order to seduce Percy) moves closer to The Graduate territory as the story progresses. Lawrence — who also executive produced and co-wrote the movie, a first for her as well — is perfect as our young Mrs. Robinson. She’s a natural as the girl whose beauty is a source of constant embarrassment, and she relishes upholding Hollywood ideas of glamor while she does it.

The picture is a satisfying comeback for Lawrence, who shrewdly made herself scarce during the last decade in order to avoid overexposure and start a family. Her return to rom-coms, following Netflix’s Don’t Look Up and Apple TV+’s intimate PTSD drama Causeway, proves she can still cut loose in any genre.

Directed by Gene Stupnitsky

Despite the rather crass premise and the tawdry set-up, No Hard Feelings manages to deliver on a whole lot more than you might expect. It’s a smart comedy with plenty of laughs and even a few genuinely touching moments. It also benefits from a committed performance from Jennifer Lawrence and a surprisingly winning turn from Andrew Barth Feldman.

The film stars Lawrence as Maddie Barker, a lifelong Montauk resident who is frustrated by the wealthy outsiders gentrifying her hometown and is worried about losing the home left to her by her late mother. In desperate need of money, she agrees to deflower a wealthy couple’s socially awkward Princeton-bound son, Percy (Feldman).

Though it takes an immediate and abrasive tone with its opening sequence, No Hard Feelings gradually veers toward a more gentle and satisfying arc. It owes something to the classic tales of Pygmalion and My Fair Lady, but its own take on this type of story is distinctly modern and relatable.

Whether it’s Lawrence’s sight gag about her inability to walk up steep outdoor stairs in rollerblades or her brief naked fight scene, this is a film that’s full of clever visual humor. And a few of the more tender moments, like a poignant scene in which Maddie talks about her callous treatment of men, are genuinely affecting.

Written by Stupnitsky & John Phillips

A big-screen comedy with a bought-sex premise could easily be scoffed at, but No Hard Feelings proves that it can be done right. It may not be as raunchy as it is billed, but it delivers plenty of laughs and features an unlikely friendship story that works thanks to the engaging chemistry between Lawrence and Barth Feldman.

Directed and co-written by Gene Stupnitsky (Good Boys), No Hard Feelings offers a fresh take on the raunchy R-rated teen comedy that typically launches young actors into stardom. But it also has a heart to it that’s anchored by the characters and their genuinely amusing arcs.

The film opens with Montauk local Maddie (Jennifer Lawrence) getting her car towed after her one-night stand with a stranger leaves her in dire financial straits. Desperate for cash, she hires a much younger and seemingly less-qualified driver to take her virginity. That’s how the plot begins, but it’s never as simple as that.

Maddie isn’t a good person, but she’s more complicated than you’d expect from the cliched setup. Likewise, 19-year-old Percy’s immaturity speaks to Gen-Z anxieties about socialization and the pressure to fit in. The age gap isn’t as pronounced as you might think, but it gives the film a thematic complexity that adds depth to its comedic elements. And the cast, including a wigged-up Matthew Broderick as Laird and a hilarious Scott MacArthur as Maddie’s surfer friends, is solid.

Starring Andrew Barth Feldman

A 32-year-old woman taking a 19-year-old virgin’s sex for cash might be a little bit crass, but as far as comedy goes, No Hard Feelings is all in good fun. Directed by Gene Stupnitsky, who previously made a series of good-natured comedies, this R-rated flick stars Jennifer Lawrence as Maddie, a desperate single mom who finds herself in a sticky situation. Basically on the verge of losing her family’s home, she answers an ad placed by a pair of helicopter parents seeking someone to “date” their introverted Princeton-bound son Percy.

While we’ve certainly seen this sort of premise before, it never gets old because Lawrence makes the role her own. She delivers a lot of the film’s most hilarious moments, with fanciful ideas, startling scenes that genuinely surprise, and a handful of bizarre interludes that ooze from her innate funny bone.

No Hard Feelings also benefits from a solid supporting cast that includes Matthew Broderick, Laura Benanti, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and the always-reliable John Phillips. But it’s really a showcase for Barth Feldman, who’s quickly becoming one of Hollywood’s go-to leading men after making his name in Broadway’s Dear Evan Hansen. He’s a riot as the sheltered Percy, with a smile that lights up the screen every time he appears on-screen. He’s a natural with Lawrence and they make for an engaging pair that elevate the film beyond its formulaic rom-com trappings.