It turns out that No Hard Feelings is *ironically* filled with very soft feelings.
The newly-released film is undeniably a down-to-earth throwback comedy commemorating the theatrical return of humor, at a time when comedy seems to be ~migrating~ to streaming platforms. But fundamentally, to reword director Gene Stupnitsky’s perspective, the film’s true selling point is the sentimental bond shared between its main characters played by Jennifer Lawrence and Andrew Barth Feldman.
No Hard Feelings, a deep-dive…
Their bond is believable because both characters emote. Maddie, played by Lawrence, has a case of *severe* people-pleasing, desperately seeking to honour her late mother’s memory even if it costs her own happiness. Maddie is lost, waiting for somebody, anybody, to hand her a compass leading her toward personal joy. As for Percy, played by Andrew, his storyline is a “cautionary tale” about the detrimental effects of helicopter parenting. Percy is lonely, hopelessly yearning for a friend to confide in.
The story is set in Montauk, a town where locals bear the financial burden of rich vacationers’ opulence during the summer. Maddie is indeed unable to pay off the increasingly hefty property taxes on her late mother’s home, causing the IRS to pay her a visit instead.
And just as they decide to seize her financial lifeline as an Uber driver, aka her car, she ~serendipitously~ stumbles upon a Craigslist ad: A couple pledges to offer their car to a woman who succeeds in bringing their introverted son, Percy, out of his shell before he goes off to college. (aka date him) (!!) Maddie’s determination to not let her mom down leads her to take on ~project Percy~.
Soon enough, hidden parts of both characters begin to unveil. We can’t seem to understand why Maddie nonchalantly pushes away anybody who attempts to get close to her, but when we learn that her father abandoned her and her mom, who was his mistress, moving across the country to live with his original family, we are *enlightened* as to Maddie’s affinity for inertia and aversion to distant adventures.
Similarly, Percy’s fearful behavior and *extreme* cautiousness in life start to make sense in light of the bullying he’s suffered at the hands of his peers. In the midst of the casual comedy and laughter, we begin to actually empathize with both characters’ struggles. And No Hard Feelings becomes way more human and believable.
In a way, Maddie and Percy end up catalyzing one another’s personal growth. “It’s really about these two people and how they affect each other over one summer,” shares director Gene Stupnitsky. Maddie’s friendship opens Percy’s eyes to his own uniqueness and gifts, paradoxically convincing him that he doesn’t need to conform or care about his peers’ validation. This in turn allows him to break free from his parents’ firm grip and self-assuredly make his own decisions before going off to college.
On the flip side, Percy ends up handing Maddie the compass she’s been searching for, filling her up with the courage needed to sell her house altogether and move to California. Percy reminds Maddie that her happiness should be her priority, no matter the distance.
In many ways, Jennifer Lawrence‘s humorous way of being is the soul and anchor of No Hard Feelings. Nothing about her goofy demeanor comes off as artificial or forced, and in fact, the academy-award-winning actress seems to be playing her own self: an unapologetically hilarious and goofy ~force of nature~.
But, far from being one-dimensional and basic, Lawrence doesn’t shy away from simultaneously honouring the depth and beauty of human emotions, in keeping with her *stellar* performances in other projects like Silver Linings Playbook, The Hunger Games, and American Hustle.
But the film’s director Gene Stupnitsky is the head writer on the beloved comedy show The Office, so obviously comedy chops were at an *all-time high* on set. No Hard Feelings was designed to be a simple down-to-earth comedy that doesn’t take itself too seriously, and Gene encouraged viewers to “leave your problems at the door, just laugh your ass off for two hours, and enjoy yourself.” And in a movie theater where watchers laughed in unison, that goal was certainly achieved.
No Hard Feelings has also received a *fair bit* of criticism, accused of being controversial due to the 13-year-old age gap between Jennifer and Andrew. In response, writer-director Gene expressed, “We took great pains to be careful about the ick factor because it could go that way. We took a humanist approach, and I think that’s all you can ask for.”
Vanity Fair reported the film was the “perfect” comeback for Lawrence and a “reminder of why audiences fell in love with her in the first place.” And Jenn’s comeback was truly sensational since, following the birth of her one-year-old son, she said she wasn’t planning on taking on another acting project for a while. Things quickly changed, though, when Stupnitsky offered her the “funniest script she’d ever read” which he had actually written for her, in her own voice.
What can we say… we’re delighted that Jennifer is back ~so soon~ and that she’s brought old-school theater comedy with her.
Leave your problems at the door and buy tickets to No Hard Feelings here.