Twenty years ago, comedy on the big screen was in the midst of a phenomenal moment. The success of Old School put a special spotlight on the stars who would become known as the Frat Pack – which led to successes like Anchorman: The Legend Of Ron Burgundy, Wedding Crashers and Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story – and just around the corner was the rise of Judd Apatow and Seth Rogen, who would give us hits like The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, and Superbad. Every few months in the mid-‘00s, audiences were given the opportunity to gather in theaters and get sent into collective hysterics by a new big studio release, and it was bliss.
Release Date: June 23, 2023
Directed By: Gene Stupnitsky
Written By: Gene Stupnitsky & John Phillips
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Andrew Barth Feldman, Natalie Morales, Laura Benanti, and Matthew Broderick
Rating: R for sexual content, language, some graphic nudity and brief drug use
Runtime: 103 minutes
Now, that is an experience from which we are very much removed. Without the addition of a genre hook, theatrically-released studio comedies have somehow earned reputations as risks, and opportunities for movie-goers to gather together in theaters and laugh have become rare. It’s a sad state of affairs to say the least – and it makes it particularly disappointing to see a swing-and-a-miss like director Gene Stupnitsky’s No Hard Feelings: a film that has a lot going for it, particularly with Jennifer Lawrence as its lead, but one that too often leans on tropes to be effective and memorable.
Despite a fun based-on-a-true-story narrative, opportunity for some sharp commentary, and a bold comedic turn from a two-time Oscar winner, the movie can’t help itself from repeatedly utilizing tired narrative elements – rendering it consistently predicable and disallowing investment in the characters. Adding insult to injury, it’s never funny or clever enough to balance things out.
Co-written by Stupnitsky and John Phillips, No Hard Feelings centers on Maddie Barker (Jennifer Lawrence), an independent young woman living in Montauk, New York who, thanks to due back taxes, is on the verge of losing the house she inherited from her mother. Her only means of making the money she needs is working as an Uber driver during the tourist-heavy summer, but that plan falls through when an ex (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) comes around to tow her car. In order to keep her home, she needs a new set of wheels, and she discovers a way of getting some when perusing Craigslist and finding a post from a pair of worried helicopter parents (Laura Benanti, Matthew Broderick).
Said parents are terrified of sending their intelligent, awkward teenage son Percy (Andrew Barth Feldman) off to college with limited social experience, and so they are willing to make a deal with a young woman. In exchange for dating the kid and taking his virginity, they are willing to sign over a used Buick Regal. Desperate and not having much in the way of sexual scruples, Maddie accepts the challenge, but she underestimates just how socially inept Percy actually is.
After starting strong, No Hard Feelings struggles to stay original.
No Hard Feelings hangs a lot on the comedic novelty of the beautiful Jennifer Lawrence ditching sexual subtlety and being reciprocated with rejection or extreme hesitance, but that conceit only gets the film so far. The ridiculously overt initial seduction attempt is good for a few laughs (conjured from a mix of innuendo, awkwardness and physical humor) as is a bout of nighttime skinny dipping that results in a bout of naked violence, but it’s not a bit that the movie can keep going for its full 103-minute runtime. It’s ultimately revealed as all special dressing for what is primarily a generic romantic comedy.
Stripped of its R-rated shenanigans and with a bigger age gap between the leads thrown into the mix, No Hard Feelings is revealed as a new swing at the same plot devices that were previously used for films like Can’t Buy Me Love, She’s All That, and Love Don’t Cost A Thing, and that means using a number of the same familiar story beats – all of which feel tired and boring. It’s not only frustrating to see worn clichés used blithely, but there are multiple instances where the natures of the characters are cast aside in the effort of creating “new” conflict (the worst offender being a scene where the cripplingly introverted Percy charismatically performs an impressive rendition of “Maneater” by Hall & Oates in the middle of a crowded restaurant). The movie starts well, but it devolves into familiar territory in the second act and never recovers.
No Hard Feelings has a talented cast, but it doesn't get the most out of it.
As is the case with just about everything she’s in, Jennifer Lawrence is the reason to watch No Hard Feelings, as she has both sharp timing and physical comedic instincts that help maximize a simple shot like Maddie getting around Montauk on a pair of roller blades. Andrew Barth Feldman additionally proves to be a find, as his charming gawkiness creates fun chemistry with his costar. Beyond the leads, however, the movie can be labeled underwhelming – not because of a lack of talent, but because of a lack of talent utilization.
In casting the film, Gene Stupnitsky brought a lot of funny performers aboard, but there is a shocking lack of effort represented in the work to try and make the characters pop or feel substantial. There are certainly opportunities to create memorable bits, like Zahn McClarnon playing Maddie’s lawyer, Kyle Mooney as Percy’s former nanny, and Hasan Minhaj cameoing as Maddie’s former classmate-turned-real estate broker, but the balance of comedy and exposition in their respective roles is far too tilted toward the latter. Natalie Morales and Scott MacArthur get the most to work with playing the protagonist’s best friends, but after a banter-filled introduction, they end up just being Maddie’s sounding board and nothing else. It’s a disappointing surprise in light of Stupnitsky past successes with talented ensembles, including TV shows The Office and Hello Ladies and the films Good Boys and Bad Teacher.
Similar to how big screen horror is currently having a significant moment, with audiences having a blast generating communal screams in cinemas worldwide, it feels like it’s only a matter of time before we see a resurgence with theatrically-released comedies… but No Hard Feelings isn’t going to be the feature that sparks it. It’s going to take a movie that’s fresh, inventive, and consistent to get that job done, and this one doesn’t have that energy. The film is funny in fits and starts and gives a lot of credence to Jennifer Lawrence’s comedic gifts, but it’s also too basic and familiar for its own good.
