No Hard Feelings
Since her career begin in 2008 , Jennifer Lawrence has star in roughly 25 films . That none of them is an out - and - out comedy may fall as a surprisal to some . David O. Russell’sSilver Linings Playbookis as tight as Lawrence has gotten , but that film is interlace with a melancholy warmheartedness that netted the actress her first Academy Award . Now , after step back from the spot and shifting away from dealership filmmaking , Lawrence is back and good than ever . Her tardy film , No Hard Feelings , is a dual coming - of - age floor hidden inside a raunchy comedy that , despite its faulting , is both sweet and hysteric , with a chaotic performance from Lawrence that shows the actress can do just about anything .
Lawrence stars as Maddie Barker , a Montauk fair sex whose house — a meridian piece of real the three estates in the beach - side holiday town — is under scourge of foreclosure due to owed holding taxes . When a scorned ex ( Ebon Moss - Bachrach ) tow her auto , which also chance to be a germ of income for her as an Uber driver , Maddie happens upon a Craigslist advertizing that could modify her life . Offering up a Buick in interchange for dating their son Percy ( Andrew Barth Feldman ) , Allison ( Lauren Benanti ) and Laird ( Matthew Broderick ) recruit Maddie to " particular date " Percy to get up him for his upcoming tenure at Princeton , specify to start out in the nightfall . course , chaos ensues as Maddie essay to woo the awkward Percy in all the wrong direction .
No Hard Feelingsis certain to inspire discourse ( this one will slot nicely next to the Age Gap discourse that has long dominated conversation about movies likeCall Me By Your Name ) , but those conversation will largely miss the stage of what is a amazingly sugared movie . Feldman , in his 2d major film use , serves as a desirable and empathetic counterpoint to Lawrence ’s jaded Maddie , and their alchemy , based on a platonic care for each other rather than anything that could be considered sexual , is something that blossoms nicely over the course of the film ’s running . No Hard Feelingsposits itself as a no - holds - barred R - rated comedy , something more likely to be see in the early aughts and that is rarely made now ( especially with the adept caliber of Lawrence at the front ) , but its number - of - age undercurrent serves as a refreshing chaser to what comes before .
Fortunately , what comes before is in good order hysterical . Lawrence may not have the comedic timing of some of her more veteran peers , but she make up for it in plain confidence . Maddie is as brazen as she is airheaded and Lawrence sells both in the way only she could . Her performance stands in great contrast to her turn in last year’sCauseway , a quiet dramatic event where she starred opposite Brian Tyree Henry . It was already open Lawrence had the mountain range and the willingness to go there , butNo Hard Feelingsis such a drastic departure , and it ’s a goody to see her have so much fun , especially after turns in movies likeDon’t depend UpandDark Phoenix .
It ’s Feldman who is the real star of the show , though . He plays Percy with a pitch - perfect commixture of social awkwardness , meek curiosity , and slight disdain for Maddie ’s open come - ons . It ’s a fleck uncomfortable watching them navigate the early scenes of their courtship , but that feel wholly the point , and it culminate in some uproarious physical funniness from Lawrence necessitate a compressed dress , Chemical Mace , and a kidnaper van . That Feldman more than holds his own against a forcefulness like Lawrence make you wonder if perhaps the pic chose the wrong protagonist , but this ultimately becomes a momentaneous thought in what feels like a balanced two - hander .
No Hard Feelingsdoesn’t shy away from the fatuity of its assumption ( plenty of Percy ’s peers point out their age gap , with one character even call Maddie"ma’am"in a moment that might have elicited the most laughs from my packed showing ) and that have it all the better . At a time when so many picture are recreate it safe and mid - budget studio apartment drollery are strictly streaming fare , a picture likeNo Hard Feelingsis a oddity when it should n’t be .
No Hard Feelingsdebuts in field of operations on Friday , June 23 . The movie is 103 minutes and rated R for sexual content , speech , some vivid nudity and abbreviated drug use .
confront the potential loss of her home home , a charwoman reluctantly agrees to go on dates with a loaded couple ’s unsure and socially inept 19 - yr - old son . As she navigate this system , she notice the young man to be more difficult than anticipated , all while racing against the clock to deliver her home .
Andrew Barth Feldman and Jennifer Lawrence in No Hard Feelings.
