From Joe Peltzer

Riotously funny with an absolute tour de force in Jennifer Lawrence, No Hard Feelings is a raunchy reminder of a time when studios put out mid-budget comedies that provided a collective, hilarious reprieve from life.

In the film, desperately in need of money to pay her property taxes and save her home, Maddie (Lawrence) agrees to a unique proposition that sees her dating an introverted 19-year-old to break him out of his shell in return for a car (which would allow her to drive for Uber). Ridiculous premise aside, No Hard Feelings showcases Jennifer Lawrence in a completely new light with a foul-mouthed and erotic turn that she nails every aspect of. Opposite her is the delightfully awkward Andrew Barth Feldman who owns the nerdy, sheltered character traits and engages in hysterical volleys with Lawrence. It’s their chemistry that makes the film work so well, even when the screenplay takes absurd turns.

At the end of the day, No Hard Feelings is just good fun. There are times where I wish it would have gone a little harder into the comedy and not have played it so safe, however the surprising heart at the core of the story makes up for that. It’s a quality that is often left out of comedies that go for maximum laughs, but No Hard Feelings does have a sentimental through line that sees the characters grow throughout the film’s events; that’s rather unusual in a comedy like this. Gene Stupnitsky’s direction and construction of the film results in one that definitely needed to be rated R, but one that is also going to appeal to a wider swatch of moviegoers than, say, 2019’s Good Boys. 

I’m hoping that No Hard Feelings does well at the box office, because 1) the stars deserve it, 2) we need more comedies like this, and 3) it’s damn funny.

No Hard Feelings hits theaters on Friday, June 23rd, 2023.

Rating: 4/5

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