by Samuel Nichols, Contributing Writer
Every now and then, an ex-Saturday Night Live cast member, or a comedian, will get their own movie or TV show. Pete Davidson had The King of Staten Island; Will Ferrel had Anchorman; Tina Fey got to make 30 Rock; Bill Burr had F Is for Family. I could go on and on. The point of these projects is usually to show that the person in question can do more than just be the centerpiece of a skit or a standup act, and that they can lead on the big screen. These people are wickedly talented and want to show off all facets of their skill set. No Hard Feelings isn’t here to tell us Jennifer Lawrence can lead a movie. If you’ve stumbled into a Hunger Games or X-Men movie in the last 12 years, you know she can be a headliner. But No Hard Feelings is similar in that it proves she has the same comedic timing and delivery as those comedy stars.
Lawrence leads No Hard Feelings as Maddie, an early-30s Uber driver/bartender who has serious commitment issues. When she falls on hard times, her car is repossessed, and it looks like she might have to sell her family home in Montauk, which her mother left to her. But she finds an ad on Craigslist from a pair of well-off parents, Laird and Allison (Matthew Broderick and Laura Benanti), who want a young woman to date their 19-year-old son Percy (Andrew Barth Feldman). In exchange, Maddie will get a 2005 Buick Regal so she can continue Ubering here and there. Although Percy is resistant to Maddie’s advances at first, the two begin to form a connection. Maddie even begins to question how she feels about the young man as they open up to each other more than they have with even their friends and family. But their lives are clearly on different paths, and they have to face that eventually.
Without question, the R-rated nature of this movie hits you like a ton of bricks. Right away, it is obscene and raunchy, and I love it for that. Lawrence throws barbs left and right. Every person she shares the screen with her is roasted up and down with her verbal wildfire. A few other characters spit flames as well, but Lawrence is the standout. It’s honestly quite unique to see her doing something like this, considering the other roles she’s had in the past. A lot of her work is far more classic Hollywood acting, with big roles or unique personifications. I think back to her work on Silver Linings Playbook, The Hunger Games, or American Hustle. The same passion she had in those movies is still here, but she uses it in a far more comedic sense.
The rest of the cast backs up Lawrence well. Particularly, newcomer Feldman is an excellent screen partner for he. For all the suave and charisma that Lawrence has, Feldman brings it in his own right. His performance as a naive young person is easy to appreciate. Feldman said he turned down going to Harvard early to be in this movie, and it seems that decision paid off. Lawrence does not frequently have the same screen partner, unless it’s a part of a franchise, but it feels like she and Feldman have already done multiple movies together.
Per comedy law, there are a number of set pieces and pseudo-combat scenes that get our bellies jumping with laughter. Some serious car vandalism happens throughout this movie, and frankly, all of it got a laugh out of me. There’s a funny scene with Maddie barging into a high school party looking for Percy after they have a little spat, and her escape attempt is hilarious, as a bit of friendly fire happens. The best physical comedy takes place during Maddie and Percy’s first date when they go swimming in the ocean, and have to deal with a few teenage hooligans who crash their alone time. I won’t get into the details because of how shocking it is, but it is clearly the best scene of the movie to me.
But there’s always the deeper message in comedies like these. Eventually the gags, set pieces, and the jokes have to stop, and the movie becomes some kind of serious drama. Characters can’t connect. Allegiances and feelings are betrayed. Someone’s true nature comes out. Blah blah blah. Whatever — you’ve seen it a million times. But honestly, it works much better for me here than it usually does. There’s a very emotional rendition of “Maneater” (again trust me, it’s well done) that pulls at your heart strings a bit. That scene is the reason you cast someone like Lawrence, because no one else can do the comedy she does and then make you think about crying.
Lawrence deserves praise for No Hard Feelings. She really could be the biggest movie star in the world, but her decision to take a step back the last few years makes her return that much sweeter. I hope she is doing well and continues her comeback to the screen. Her presence was missed.
Score: 7/10
No Hard Feelings is currently playing in theaters
You can read more from Samuel Nichols, and follow him on Twitter and Letterboxd