Jennifer Lawrence has been known to make audiences laugh with her sharp wit and humor in interviews and on talk shows. But despite her comedic talent, she has never had the opportunity to star in a big, broad comedy until now. Enter “No Hard Feelings,” a classic, raunchy R-rated comedy that was tailor-made for the Oscar winner.
The film follows Maddie Barker (played by Lawrence), an Uber driver without a car who is struggling financially. When she comes across a Craigslist ad seeking a woman to “date” a shy 19-year-old boy named Percy (Andrew Barth Feldman) and bring him out of his shell before he goes off to college, she sees an opportunity to make some quick cash. But things don’t go exactly as planned, and chaos ensues.
Directed by Gene Stupnitsky, who also co-wrote the script with John Phillips, “No Hard Feelings” has been described as a film that starts out looking like a gross-out comedy in the vein of “Porky’s,” but eventually heads closer to “The Graduate” territory. While the film is only sporadically successful at having things both ways, it shows talent in generating some good laughs and addressing serious aspects of life that eventually must be faced.
What makes “No Hard Feelings” stand out is Lawrence’s performance. Stupnitsky wrote the movie specifically for her, after realizing how funny she was during a dinner where they had “eight or nine martinis between us.” Lawrence, who is also a producer on the film, hits the mark as a thirty-ish woman whose great looks and popularity have seemingly delayed her full transition from hot young thing into responsible adulthood.
The film’s premise is based on a real Craigslist ad, and while there are debates over just how real it was, the idea of a woman answering an ad like that was funny enough to catch the attention of several producers. With Lawrence attached to star and produce, the movie became a hot commodity, with streaming services and studios vying for the rights to make it. Ultimately, they went with Sony and a traditional theatrical release.
For Lawrence, the experience of making “No Hard Feelings” was a blast. She has always wanted to do a comedy, and this film allowed her to showcase her comedic chops. The chemistry between her and Feldman is palpable, and the two of them had a lot of fun on set. Lawrence even admitted to giggling before going to sleep, just thinking about the day’s work.
As audiences gear up to watch Jennifer Lawrence in her first major theatrical release in a few years, they can expect a film that is funny, gross, ballsy, lame, daring, and uncertain, more or less in equal measure. But most importantly, they can expect to see Lawrence at her comedic best. If you’re looking for a good laugh and some heartfelt moments, “No Hard Feelings” is the movie for you. (deadline.com) (deadline.com)
