If anyone was under the assumption that the era of early 2000’s comedy was over, they were proven wrong by Gene Stupnitsky’s recent directorial release: No Hard Feelings.
No Hard Feelings is a film that upon first preview, there were no intriguing factors or any real reason to feel the need to see this movie. But following the heavy advertisement campaign and impressive audience scores, I thought that taking a trip down to the local cinema to see this film could do no harm.
The story of this film essentially follows a young woman named Maddie (Jennifer Lawrence), who is in desperate need of a new car, following the loss of hers due to not being able to afford her property taxes.
She then stumbles across a strange yet golden opportunity as a pair of wealthy parents offer up the ownership of their old vehicle in exchange of a young woman’s services to help bring their nerdy and awkward 19-year-old son out of his shell before he goes off to college.
A simple but effective storyline for any “Early 2000’s-esque” comedy to be released in 2023.
Although this role is very much unlike anything we have seen Jennifer Lawrence take on before, the Oscar-winning actress does do a brilliant job of providing a comedic aspect to the character of Maddie in her desperate search for a new car.
We have seen Lawrence tackle challenging roles such as a depressed widow, a lethal archer, a genius Astrophysicist and even X-Men’s Mystique. But never have we seen her take on the comedic challenges that come with a role such as this one.
In this film, Lawrence comes head-to-head with a nerdy and awkward 19-year-old (played by Andrew Barth Feldman) who we can surely assume has never felt the touch of a woman, or even willingly held a conversation with a woman before.
Andrew Barth Feldman also does a solid job in his first major production role as Percy Becker, the young man who stumbles across Jennifer Lawrence and inevitably falls for her misleading affection.
The dynamic between the two characters is actually very interesting and enjoyable to follow. Both characters have comedic parts to provide in their own rights, whilst also forming a loving and heart-warming relationship in the process, despite their separate intentions.
As the story goes on, we begin to like seeing the pair enjoy their time together, regardless of the wicked scenario that the two find themselves in later on in the film.
I like to see this film not just as a comedy filled with one-liners and situations that will lead the audience into laughter, but also as a coming-of-age movie from two totally different perspectives.
Percy, the nerdy 19-year-old who eventually comes out of his shell following his relationship with an older woman, just in time for his college-life to begin.
And Maddie, the struggling 32-year-old who is too afraid to take the next step in her life and move out of her hometown, to the point where her life doesn’t really seem to be going anywhere. Whereas the people around her who she loves the most seem to be doing something productive and honest with their lives.
At the end of the film, the two characters find themselves in a completely different place as opposed to where they were when we first met them. Both physically and mentally. And that is purely down to the relationship that the pair develop over the course of the movie.
The real theme to be portrayed here is that all friendships and relationships come in all shapes and sizes and that taking the next step in your life can be scary, but if you fail to do so, you’ll find yourself in a never-ending route to nowhere.
All in all, despite the strong themes at the core of this story, No Hard Feelings is a heart-warming and hilarious comedy that is bound to leave it’s audience members convinced that their trip down to the local cinema was worth it.
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