Review: No Hard Feelings (2023)

Directed and co-written by Gene Stupnitsky, No Hard Feelings is a coming-of-age sex comedy starring Jennifer Lawrence, Andrew Barth Feldman, Laura Benanti, and Matthew Broderick. The movie is currently playing in UK and US cinemas, having been released on Friday 23rd June, and follows the story of a 32-year-old woman who agrees to date an introverted 19-year-old man for financial gain.

In the movie, Maddie Barker is an Uber driver and bartender in New York who is suffering financial difficulties. Things have not been going her way, her car has been repossessed, and she’s in danger of losing her home.

Desperate to make some quick cash, Maddie sees a post on Craigslist which could solve all her problems. The post is from two wealthy parents who are searching for someone to date their son, Percy, with a car up for grabs for the right candidate.

Percy is a social introvert, who has no experience with the opposite sex. He also has no friends, doesn’t drink, and doesn’t go to parties, and his parents worry that when Percy goes to college he will struggle to cope.

Believing Maddie has what it takes to bring Percy out of his shell, his parents hire Maddie and encourage her to open his eyes to new experiences through dating and casual sex. But as Maddie soon discovers, Percy may not be as susceptible to her charms as she first believes, meaning she may have to work a little harder to win him over.

OK, before talking about the positives and negatives of No Hard Feelings, I think it’s important to address the obvious elephant in the room – and that elephant is of course the central premise of this movie. The idea of one character trying to coerce or deceive another into a relationship and/or sex is something that is clearly very problematic, and instantly feels uncomfortable.

On paper the premise doesn’t sound good, does it? We live in a post ‘Me Too’ era, and the suggestion that an older person would attempt to trick a younger person into bed, at the request of the younger person’s parents, sounds like a big red flag.

However, in the movie’s defence, the point of No Hard Feelings is to show that some people can’t be forced into relationships or sex. Just because Maddie has an agenda, and so do Percy’s parents, it doesn’t mean they will get what they want and the movie spends a great deal of time exploring who Percy is and his emotional state of mind.

The film also makes it clear what type of person Maddie is, and how she views ‘hook ups’ and connections. Her age is also signposted at various points throughout the movie, as is her immaturity, and when explored on screen this takes some of the sting out of the problematic premise.

I don’t know how well this film will age, and I’m sure some will take issue with the subject matter regardless, but No Hard Feelings isn’t as controversial as it may seem at first glance. No Hard Feelings has more depth than it appears and does have something to say about age, experience, and differing emotional view points when it comes to sex.

So, putting the elephant to one side for a moment, how well does No Hard Feelings stack up as a comedy? Well, it doesn’t stack up too badly.

While No Hard Feelings isn’t always a laugh riot, and it could benefit from a few more jokes, it is at times quite funny. The film contains enough gags to make it enjoyable, with some of those gags being fairly strong, and this helps to keep things moving along quite smoothly.

The momentum and the gags do drop off toward the final act, which doesn’t help the comedic side of things, but by this point in time you’re either invested in the story or you’re not. If you’ve come this far and feel you’ve had enough, then I’d suggest this movie isn’t really for you (and perhaps never was).

I was invested in the film, so was happy to see how things played out, even if the pace did shift a touch during the last 20 minutes. It is here where No Hard Feelings begins to bring everything together, and when I’d argue the movie hits on some of its stronger material.

Irrespective of the gag-rate, at all times throughout the film, No Hard Feelings benefits from a strong central performance by Jennifer Lawrence, who is able to balance the comedic needs of the movie with the emotional content. Lawrence is great when it comes to serious material, but she’s equally as good with the slapstick stuff too, and she nails both sides effortlessly.

For this film, Lawrence clearly lets go of all her inhibitions, and throws herself into the picture. She works well with co-star Andrew Barth Feldman, and both actors take their characters on an insightful journey of growth.

I believe the film could work without Lawrence, but I’m not convinced it would be as strong. She adds star power to the picture, and while it might seem like the sort of film she would have starred in during the early stages of her career, No Hard Feelings only really works because of the age she is now.

Some of the film’s best observations and comments about generational differences also work because of the age difference between Lawrence and Andrew Barth Feldman. The film offers up some decent comments about the iPhone generation, and the desire to record every single thing online, and this is fun to see.

With the summer season in full swing, and cinemas crammed with huge blockbusters such as Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, The Flash, and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, it’s easy to overlook a small-scale comedy such as No Hard Feelings. The film doesn’t boast huge special effects, it doesn’t have a big cast, and the premise may put off some audiences.

But if you’re suffering from franchise fatigue, or you simply want something easy to watch, then No Hard Feelings could be for you. It isn’t the greatest comedy of all time, and I would have liked a few more laughs, but it is enjoyable stuff and Lawrence is excellent.

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