Jennifer Lawrence is funny. I don’t think that’s too hard to argue. After her breakout roles in Winter’s Bone and The Hunger Games, she became the talk of the town with her Oscar-winning role in Silver Linings Playbook. Lawrence won over our hearts with her down-to-earth personality, her blunt yet charming sense of humor, and her willingness to show, despite quickly becoming one of the biggest names in the industry, at the end of the day she’s human. Her winning streak came to an end after a string of financial and/or critical duds with films like X-Men: Apocalypse, Passengers, mother!, and Red Sparrow. Then all of a sudden, Lawrence took a step back from the spotlight, got married, had a kid, and then returned to Hollywood with her leading role opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in the Oscar-nominated satire Don’t Look Up, and just last year starred alongside Brian Tyree Henry in the acclaimed drama Causeway. Lawrence’s career is impressive, but what’s kind of shocking is that she has never starred in a true blue comedy. She’s been funny in films before, but none of her roles ever really allowed her to show off her true potential as a comedy powerhouse. That has now changed with No Hard Feelings.
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The story kicks off when Maddie (Lawrence), a native of Montauk, wakes up to find that her car is being towed by her ex-boyfriend Gary (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), which prevents her from making money from her gig as an Uber driver. Maddie has hit a rough patch in her life. After the death of her mother, she ended up staying in her hometown, living in the same house that she grew up in. She’s mostly happy with that, except for the fact that the IRS is on her back, and rich vacationers are beginning to populate her home. After finding an ad on Craigslist where a wealthy couple (Matthew Broderick and Laura Benanti) is asking for a young woman to date their Princeton-bound son Percy (Andrew Barth Feldman) in exchange for a Buick Regal, she finds herself confidently waltzing into a Pet Rescue and attempting to seduce the 19-year-old. Percy is initially frightened by Maddie’s aggressive flirting tactics, and Maddie finds Percy to be a bit of a loser. After all, his parents are promising to reward her if she takes his virginity. Of course, the more time the two spend together, a friendship begins to form, especially as they begin to learn vital lessons from one another.

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‘No Hard Feelings’ Has a Heart as Big as Its Laughs
Image via Sony Pictures

The marketing for No Hard Feelings promises a no holds barred R-rated comedy full of in-your-face humor, constant innuendos, and f-bombs galore. While there is still plenty of that here, what sets this film apart from something like Bad Teacher is just how big of a heart it has. Yes, this is a film where a fully naked Jennifer Lawrence comically beats up a bunch of ne’er-do-well teenagers, but it also takes its time to make the audience become attached to the characters, relate to them, and actively root for them. It feels like something that would’ve played on the big screen ten years ago and that’s not a bad thing whatsoever. Director Gene Stupnitsky gives No Hard Feelings the vibe of a modern-day John Hughes movie with the right mix of laughs, honesty, and sweetness. It’s the kind of crowd-pleasing summer comedy that we haven’t really had since Long Shot.

The story itself has that feel of American Pie meets There’s Something About Mary, and, much like those films, it’s about as predictable as they come. You can’t fault the film too much for that either, there’s really only so much it can do, and at times the more cliché nature works to its benefit. It feels like comfort food and that special kind of comedy that you’ll want to watch over and over again. There are a couple of moments that show promise that ultimately doesn’t go anywhere, including a brief subplot involving Percy and a more age-appropriate love interest named Natalie (Amalia Yoo), but by the time the credits’ role those moments feel forgotten about. There are also moments where the jokes start to slow down, but fortunately, the film never loses track of its heartfelt center.

Jennifer Lawrence Is ‘No Hard Feelings’ Greatest Strength
Image via Sony

It should be a surprise to absolutely nobody that Jennifer Lawrence’s performance is easily No Hard Feelings’ greatest asset. The script, which was co-written by Stupnitsky and John Phillips, was clearly written with her in mind, and it’s hard to see the movie working as well as it does without her there. Lawrence flexes her comedy muscles in both her dialogue and physical comedy, taking some bold swings with some of the things she does on screen, and it pays off extremely well. This might be Lawrence’s best work since Silver Linings Playbook and that’s because the film plays to all of her strengths.

Andrew Barth Feldman also shines bright as Percy, the young male lead. He pulls off playing an insecure and awkward college freshman in a way that feels authentic but also can go toe-to-toe onscreen with someone like Lawrence. The chemistry the two stars share is charming and even endearing at times. This is not in the sense that the audience will want to see them actually get together romantically, but because their onscreen friendship feels so natural.

The film’s ensemble works well for what they’re given. Matthew Broderick and Laura Benanti have some effective laughs as Percy’s wealthy helicopter parents while Natalie Morales and Scott MacArthur help create some amusing back-and-forth scenes with Lawrence as Maddie’s two best friends.

No Hard Feelings feels like the kind of movie that we don’t get much of anymore. The R-rated studio comedy isn’t nearly as prevalent on the big screen as it used to be, and that’s a shame because this is the kind of film that shows what made some of those films so special and so rewatchable. Hopefully, this leads to many more comedic powerhouse performances from Lawrence.

Rating: A-

No Hard Feelings opens in theaters on June 23.