Movie Breakdown: No Hard Feelings

Pre-Screening Stance:

Jennifer Lawrence is a real talent and Gene Stupnitsky’s last film – 2019’s Good Boys – was solid, but I haven’t exactly been chomping at the bit to see No Hard Feelings. Something about it just feels dated.

Post-Screening Ramble:

There’s not really anything surprising to be had in No Hard Feelings. If you’re wanting to see Jennifer Lawrence front an R-rated comedy, she does and she’s entertaining in it. If you have no interest in such a thing, then you’re not going to find anything here that will sway you the other way. The story follows Maddie (Lawrence), a car-less woman who needs a car in order to make enough money to pay off the back taxes owed on her late mother’s house. Luckily for her, along come a set of silly parents – Allison (Laura Benanti) and Laird (Matthew Broderick) – with an ad offering one well-maintained Buick Regal as payment for secretly dating/deflowering their shy 19-year old, Percy (Andrew Barth Feldman). Maddie signs up, and off she goes to try and get the job done as quickly as possible. Percy, however, is harder to crack than she expects. This leads to some laughs and feelings across what is essentially a half rom-com, half coming of age tale. Again, Lawrence is funny and looks like she’s having a good time. Feldman deserves a good bit of credit, too, as he is able to put a charming spin on his rather timid, aloof, and awkward character. Lastly, the film gets big points for its breakneck pace and a runtime that’s just over an hour and 40 minutes (with credits).

So, is No Hard Feelings the next great R-rated comedy? No, but it’s a cute and fun effort that’s a dash more than serviceable. You could do a lot worse than it. The movie hits theaters this Friday, June 23.

One Last Thought:

Matthew Broderick is forever young in my brain due to growing up with movies like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and WarGames, so seeing him in this all grayed out and with a bit of weight on him really threw me for a loop.