"On the brink of losing her home, Maddie finds an intriguing job listing: helicopter parents looking for someone to bring their introverted 19-year-old son out of his shell before college. She has one summer to make him a man or die trying." 

OUR MOVIE REVIEW:

No Hard Feelings is a coming of age story told through two vastly different perspectives. This R-rated raunchy comedy may not always land, but the film excels with the relationships developed between characters and the performances leading the way. The film is extremely crude, hard on the language and feels as though its plot was found in a time capsule from the 80s, 90s or even the early 00s. But with its modern tweaks, No Hard Feelings has become one of the biggest surprises of 2023. 

Director Gene Stupnitsky made his feature directorial debut with the similarly crude Good Boys, which was unfortunately marketed to such an extreme level that all the jokes were ruined before any person ventured out to the cinema. That’s not a mistake I was going to have happen twice, so the premise alone lured me in and that’s what I recommend those who haven’t digested the numerous promos do, because the unforeseen comedy was a shocking delight. 

While the story may be predictable with its usual beats, it's with the characters of Maddie (Jennifer Lawrence) and Percy (Andrew Barth Feldman) that make the film so remarkably enticing to see their hopeless relationship blossom. Parents of a closed off teenager secretly trade a car in a transaction for some affection to their son, before heading off to college and subsequently pushing him out of his shell and a woman in desperate need of money, as well as a ride, to keep her house payments afloat. It’s a thin line the film walks with a 32 year old woman seducing a 19 year old but it's not about their romance or the proposed sex, it's really about the unexpected friendship they find between one another, ultimately leading to the reestablishment of a meaningful relationship with themselves. That’s essentially what I mean by the statement that this film feels straight out a time capsule, with its possibly controversial premise but in the way it's handled, especially within the film's third act that makes all the difference. 

Lawrence is straying away from her usual catalog of roles, with the exception of the 2021 dramedy Don’t Look Up, but here Lawrence comes fully into her own. She’s a comedy darling and I’d love to see more of this from the actor in the future of her career. One thing in particular that was so refreshing to see was her owning control of her body after that revolting personal image leak of 2014; this scene delivered such unexpected comedic effect. Lawrence understands how to deliver not only the comedy, but the drama alongside her co-star and it’s safe to say more R-rated comedic material should come sooner than later from the actor if she chose to continue to pursue it. However she’s not the only individual to offer major applause to, actor Andrew Barth Feldman, who is still an up and coming actor in his field should see a beam of light accentuating his filmography for his subtle, subdued and dry portrayal of a secluded teen hesitantly opening up.

When you look at the comedy in the film, it’s mixture of Dirty Grandpa’s scribe John Phillips and Good Boys’ Gene Stupinsky sense of humor may seem like a calling sign for a complete bust on the page, and while it may not entirely work front to back, it’s with the performances and the stunningly beautiful direction that enhances the dramatic beats that make up for those few sour instances. The pacing may seem a bit rushed, but young “love” and arrogance can be like that - No Hard Feelings figures out how to make something so awkward, worthwhile, in its message of opening oneself to an unwritten future.